Nature's Candy
© Laura Craig Mason 2000

Raisins don’t taste bad,
but their wrinkles flesh
and sharp taste
can only remind me
of once chubby hands
seeking ‘snickers,’
only to find dried apricots
in my mother’s cabinets.

If I close my eyes
and eat them
individual
tasting each sharp turn
and actively sensing
this shrunken fruit;
I am in love.

But down the hall
I smell the instant gratification
of popcorn.
I hear machines buzz
dispensing salt
and refined sugar.
I can imagine
cartoons skipping down
streets laden with junk food,
and name-brand placements.
I can’t escape
America’s infatuation with
the immediate and unhealthy.

But I breathe;
wash away the smell of salt and oil
with cold water.
I bite into another
dried grape,
and make a mental note
to thank my mother
for showing me
the good taste in subtlety.