Dessert Plate

Dessert Plate

Your smile dispels my Cimmerian shade

And I in my gluttony to taste the sun, devour your mouth―

I love the sheen of sweat on your upper lip



And the blazing trails that linger where your kisses sleep,

Warm brownies infused with vanilla ice cream,

Are the jewels you seek between the sheets and moon,



In your hands tilled soil crumbles in loose heaps

My strawberries sift through the tear in my lace gown,

Just beyond the horizon tadpoles plow through my toes—



Goosebumps flesh Goosebumps

Your dappled oak shades the golden pond within―

My rain falls in pot-bellied droplets on your cheek.



You embrace the curling rivers around your tongue

And poetic endearments hemorrhage from your mouth

Like juicy watermelon dusted with sea-salt.