In the Spring 
I made you strawberry shortcake 
I doubled the berries 
Topped it with the creamiest of creams 
I watched you savor its flavor 
Took your compliments to heart 
For you I’d bake a thousand cakes 
Cook a hundred meals 
Every day, for the rest of my life 
I savored you 
You were my delight, my daily dessert

Summer came 
Heat swept through my kitchen 
Like the sandstorms of the dust bowl 
In the sweet drippings of our sweat 
We lie beneath the cool midnight breezes 
Of an electric fan 
There were no leftovers

One morning I noticed 
The birds were no longer singing 
The days were turning cooler 
My bare stove looked intrusive 
Stark white across the room 
I noticed too 
The days grew longer 
Instead of shorter 
Strawberries made me nauseous

Now 
My cream spoils in open air 
And 
I have no taste for strawberry shortcake
Alone