There just happened to be exactly
the right amount of butter in the fridge
to make the Blood Orange boxed cake
and frosting mix
that sat in the cupboard for over a year
just waiting for election anxiety to crescendo
into a medicinal need for baked goods.
The citrus flavor was out of sync
with this Season of the Dead warm pumpkin,
apple and caramel, yet a perfect flavor note
for a particular person, on this day
of this year.
Who knew cake mixes could be best
when left to ripen in the dark like pears
into an allure that calls out in a time of need
says, I’m here, yes, I’m here,
I’ve been waiting for you—
not shouted in a threatening way, not
like it’s wandering down a hallway
I’m here, I’m coming for you, Nancy,
Nancy, where are you? Not menacing like that.
Look at this cake’s color—a delightful pink
neither bloody nor orange.
Nothing revolting, no—no assault on the senses
no clobbering of tastebuds
just a small tart dance upon the tongue
an antidote for its time, this time.
If it had to write its own package description.
it might state as its aim
to serve a slice of laughter, a forkful of delight
for that overburdened, anxious brain.
I am at my best when paired
with pre-election hand-wringing.
Joy Kreves is an artist/poet in Central New Jersey, where she watches in horror as civil society comes crashing down around her. She is the Managing Editor of US1 Worksheets, in which she has had poems published, as well as several art exhibition catalogs. Her recent chapbook is Nature of The Beast.
