Fudge & Divinity
were 2 of a kind.
Fudge felt superior,
for, according to him,
chocolate was the granddaddy
of all desserts;
Divinity felt superior,
for she required a skilled confectioner
with a candy thermometer,
yet these candies realized that without
walnuts for him
& pecans for her,
they were just plain sweet.

When Dr. Pepper showed up to work,
high on Coke,
his little Sprite of a nurse gave him
a Heads-Up 7-Up that Mr. Pibb
wanted to take his place at the table.
When Mr. Pibb saw the doc in all his glory—
Sunkist with the Mountain Dew—
he realized that even though he was made of
practically the same stuff,
he just didn’t have the punch (or the doctorate) that Pep had.

A miniature glass menagerie of liqueurs—
from coconut rum to cherry brandy—
lines the shelves like Fabergé eggs
in Chantilly’s Chocolaterie.
For one sacred day that lasts a 1000 years,
Tilly, known as the truffle alchemist,
makes the blind see colors
with her boozy Braille balls,
& the deaf hear melodies
with her bonbons filled
with music notes—
like harmonious fortune cookies.
Her Chocolate Fountain of Youth
from which the bittersweet drink
is circled by frozen,
white chocolate
shot glasses,
for the rules of this sweet shoppe is no forks,
no spoons,
no straws,
no wrappings,
& that everything be consumed
with clean hands,
for there is magic encapsulated
in every drop & sphere that is
created with couverture
& consumed with godliness.