ODE TO THE JELLY BEAN
Oh, fool was I to touch one of those sweets
Shining like polished stones, in a glory
Of vivid hues unmatched by any fleet
Iris’ rainbow carpet! Now I see
That such temptation as I felt before
Cannot compare to this obsessive fire;
The taste that waits a while on my sore
And juice-stained teeth has inflamed my desire
Until what was a harmless, passing thought
To indulge just a little my dry tongue
And bite into a luscious, bright, much-sought
Jelly bean without fear of being stung
By the small indelicate knives of shame --
A hopeless case of gluttony became!
CAN YOU SAY 'CLOGGED ARTERIES'?
If I could choose the manner of my death,
I would not need to groan and think and weigh
The pros and cons of having the sweet breath
Squeezed out of me by friendly giants. Nay--
If I could choose, I'd choose death by bacon.
I'd ask that I be fed strip after strip,
That my every taste bud might awaken
To the glory of fat, and that my lips
Might know as intimately as a god
The juices that ooze forth from fried swine-flesh,
And understand the impossibly broad
Spectrum of crunchiness that marks out fresh
Bacon for what it is. Its crisp ends curl
'Round the best sort of door to the next world.
