Love is the Cherry on Top!

 

Mainly due to sensitive teeth, I never crave ice cream. I know, weird, huh? There’s also some science backed medical issues about—well—forget it. That’s not the point. Truth is, I try avoiding the delicious treat, but find myself buying cartons of various flavors to please my sweetheart, who usually ends up eating it alone.  To which sceptics might say, sure, ‘she likes it too’. Well, I’m not made of stone. Plus, there’s some delicious, creamy options available that are softer than the icy stuff I remember from childhood.

Anyway, last night we made homemade banana splits with coffee-almond-fudge ice-cream and fudge brownie ice-cream, whipped cream, walnuts, and even a dash of caramel sauce.

Before I took the first bite, I noticed something was missing. The cherry!

We had a bowl of naturally sweet, cherries on the countertop and I grabbed one to decorate my dessert. There, among the fudge swirled creation, spoke the intangible analogy of a charmed life. The fruity banana on the bottom, the flavorful, the nutty and the sweet. And that cherry. Not a maraschino cherry, soaked in chemicals and food coloring, but a fresh, heart-colored delight sitting on top of a mountain of happiness. A sin about to be devoured.

I looked up at my husband gleefully enjoying his snack, and a powerful feeling of love came over me.  We were sharing a memorable moment like two partners in crime. Both aware of temporarily deviating into the dark side of normalcy, but doing it together, like Adam and Eve or Bonnie and Clyde.  I grinned, grabbed my spoon, and ne’er a pain from any tooth bothered me during this feast. Two seniors, now wild children, running on the freshly mowed grass and giggling with abandon.

For those few minutes, it felt good to be a rebel. (Come on, even doctors don’t know everything!)

                                                                                               

After all, isn’t love the gift that makes life

 prettier and sweeter—like a cherry on top—perfect?

Heart Shield

 For everyone returning to school, or work,
 after the pandemic:

 Listen to Your Heart

Sometimes our hearts have extra beats.

Rhythmic ones,

making us do things

we didn’t think we could do.

These beats encourage tenderness

to sprout into confidence,

with a whisper of boldness,

a murmur of sass.

 

A wilting flower,

now top of the class.

Instead of dregs,

the last in line waits for a fresh,

warm tray of refills.

A leader in a world of followers.

Blossom among weeds,

poised colorfully,

above spikey,

painful foxtails.

 

Those tapping extra beats,

thump loudly when facing the enemy.

Where evil lurks,

focus on the sound

emanating

from the heart.

Choose a course,

where distant drums approach;

the aegis,

the backup,

the cavalry

on the path,

to success.