The Dessert of the Real

When I was young I read
stories that described cakes

luscious and just airy enough,
pies with all the complexity

of the most Edenic of fruits.
I was told this was the world

of desserts awaiting me
as my palate grew into wisdom,

but I’ve learned that nothing
real can match what I saw

in those books, the movies
and advertisements. No sugar

is as good as its manufactured
description. I tell people now

that I don’t have a sweet tooth,
prefer the savory. And I do,

but only because I’ve learned
my lesson, that the dream

is dead, the simulacra so much
brighter than the truth.