CHERRIES

First published in June 2022

I choose the bowl
with care handmade ceramic
in blue, dark and glossy
to best show off the fruit,

rounded luscious,
every berry on its short stalk
glowing with invitation impossible to resist
that first bite.

I admire the rich redness
twiddle each cherry between my fingers
to catch sunlight on its scarlet skin

before giving in
to temptation and popping it
on my tongue savouring
its elegance,

its summer sweetness.