What if
eight-years-old again
playing soccer.
Sweaty and red-faced.
Eating orange crackers
with cheese.
Can I eat orange crackers
with cheese
today?
The rising dread says
NO
not healthy.
What if
nine-years-old again
running outside
to Nawney’s
prehistoric freezer
after dinner.
Selecting a Blue Bell ice cream
pint and running back
into her house,
digging in with a spoon
enjoying every morsel.
And today?
The rising dread says
NO
eat out of the pint
and lose control.
What if
ten-years-old again
feeling excited for poptarts.
The crinkly noise as I peel packaging off,
place the treats in the toaster,
bite into their crunchy crust,
burning my tongue on the jam.
Will I bite into
poptarts today?
The rising dread says
NO
stay clear.
What if
chocolate milk cartons
fried popcorn shrimp
blueberry cheesecake muffins
Chicago-style stuffed crust pizza
were no longer
Threatening.
What if
twenty-one-years-old now
food had no
morals?
What if
I instead listen
to truth
and defeat
the rising dread?
