by Kate Bernadette Benedict
Think of it as the finest of desserts,
a cake of red velvet or German chocolate,
the delectable finale to a wretched meal,
one bitter course after another,
vinegar in our flutes instead of wine.
How the sweetness makes everything right!
How it neutralizes that slosh of acids
a supper of suffering inflicted.
Relish it slowly, bite by exquisite bite.
Lick the icing from your fingers.
It's a miracle of a confection, it's never done,
the cakes just keep coming.
There's more for everyone.
Kate Bernadette Benedict of New York City is the author of Earthly Use: New and Selected Poems.