Ode to a Sugar High

Illustration by the author

Eye-level with a six-year-old,
Candy-studded cupcakes smile at me,
Red Twizzler mouth,
Gummy peach ring eyes.

Plated caterpillar,
Cakes curved serpentine
Slither from hands grandmotherly, arthritic,
Polished, fragrant.

She made them for my little sister’s birthday,
Sailing into rustic cabin kitchen
Confident, serene,
Golden chains dangling.

Outside, Wyoming summer:
Sun on pine, on red dirt, on water
Burns incense to tired deities,
Blinding us, boring them.

Inside, this saccharine offering greets me
As screen door slaps frame,
Inviting indulgence, entrapping;
Warning as wild Leviathan of chaos to come.