NaPoWrimo, Day Twenty-Three: “The Dessert of the Real”

The Dessert of the Real

When I was young I read
stories that described cakes

luscious and just airy enough,
pies with all the complexity

of the most Edenic of fruits.
I was told this was the world

of desserts awaiting me
as my palate grew into wisdom,

but I’ve learned that nothing
real can match what I saw

in those books, the movies
and advertisements. No sugar

is as good as its manufactured
description. I tell people now

that I don’t have a sweet tooth,
prefer the savory. And I do,

but only because I’ve learned
my lesson, that the dream

is dead, the simulacra so much
brighter than the truth.

Thanks for reading! April is National Poetry Writing Month, and this year I’m writing and publishing a poem about food each day. My 2021, 2020, and 2019 NaPoWriMo poems (about GIFs, the Fast and Furious movies, and car insurance, respectively) are still live on Medium, so check out my profile if you want more.