If one were walking along the sidewalk of say, Woodbourne Ave., and one were to notice that in a particular front yard, between the curb and sidewalk, some very productive tomato vines are growing (okay, snaking) around a telephone pole and the supporting wire which is sort of triangulary-attached to said pole, and that the vines currently hold dozens of ripe, tasty-looking cherry tomatoes, is this forbidden fruit?
I picked none of the tomatoes, but I spent the rest of my walk pondering the question.
The tomatoes are right next to a public thoroughfare, some actually hanging right out over the street. But they are planted on private property.
But the telephone pole doesn't belong to the homeowner. Are the tomatoes on his/her/their property if wrapped around the pole?
Are the tomatoes intended solely for personal consumption? It seems incredibly naive to believe that no other passerby would swipe a few, and surely the planter knows this.
Plus, did I mention they looked really tasty?
I think I've decided that it would definitely be wrong to take a large quantity, but that it would be morally acceptable to pick off one or two as an appetizer of sorts.
But I'm not quite sure.
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