author’s cupcake at the time of writing poem

why i eat cupcakes

as a child, i never thought twice
an ultimate pleasure
relished without guilt
then came my 20s
‘don’t look’ ‘don’t touch’
my inner voice chimed
one bite never enough

then came my surgeries
deaths and a virus
both unrelated and not
i met my third baby
and i wanted to remember the joy
of being a kid again

that’s why i eat cupcakes

Linda Adams ~ 2022