The waiter comes to our table with a menu        “Dessert?”
“We could not possibly!” I say,
My husband looks intently into my eyes and Says, “Yes! We will take a menu”,
Years of saving pennies and fad diets are Behind us now,

We finger the menu together,
Going line by line, ingredient by ingredient, 
Sitting closely, hair raised on our arms,
As if we were transported back to the malt Shop where we had our first date, 
No strawberry malts listed on the menu, 
We settled for strawberry shortcake instead,

The dish came, a slice of cake as big as my Head, strawberries as big as my eyes, 
The cake dripping in sauce the color of my Salivating tongue,
A playful dollop of whipped cream begs for my Finger to dive into it,
And a mint leaf spreads it’s foliage over top As garnish,

My husband nudges the plate toward me,
Taking pleasure in watching me eat,
Taking pleasure in me reveling in new Sensations I had never experienced before,
How quickly we have forgotten to take time For simple pleasures,

I plunge the fork into the cake, 
Dangling a chunk in front of my husband, Teasing him,
Inviting him to taste what I have,
Pulling him closer and closer to me until,
He succumbs to temptation, kissing the Strawberry I carved out for him, 
I wipe the crumbs from the corner of his Mouth,
And he playfully wipes a Dollop of whip cream On my nose,
Then he wipes it away with the same napkin,

My head found rest on his shoulder,
The cake found a new home in a to go Container to be eaten later,
My husband quietly paid the bill,
Holding me tight with one arm and handling Business with another,
We made our exit, 
Strawberry short cake in tow,
To be used at our discretion,
Whenever we need a reminder of simple Pleasures

~ By Hyacinth Hale