For Wackers…..
July 29, 2020
One of my darling children decided to surprise me with a lovely box of chocolate-covered strawberries. Alas, shipping perishables in the time of Covid is totally unreliable, as are all of life and government. (Just an aside!)
So, although it was the thought that counted, and the fate of the strawberries was in no way her doing, this week another little surprise arrived….an item of more durable nature. What follows is what I pass off as a “thank-you” note. It almost doesn’t sound grateful, being fraught with a certain angst over the berries, which can’t be helped….but it really is…..grateful, I mean.
Like a gorgeous older woman, whose Glory Days are past,
Those chocolate-covered strawberries, about to breathe their last,
Arrived…..
And at a first fast glance, appeared to be delicious,
Still coddled in their chocolate coats……most elegant of dishes!
Then a close inspection betrayed their magic spell,
As decadence of time and age uncloaked their inner selves.
Alas, like Mrs. Havisham, whose wedding dreams had faltered,
Must and mold had stolen youth….and left them at the altar.
But, solid, pretty baubles have a firmer, longer life,
Less hampered by the passing days, if caught in shipping strife.
So, thank you for the lovely purple sparklers that you sent,
Though I do regret the effort and the Rubles that you spent.
And, I will wear them happily…enjoy them, truth be told;
But I’ll still mourn those berries…
And curse both Time and Mold.
Written just for “J”
By
The Q.O.E.