Ode to a Goldfish Cracker

I used to get so excited,

Even just from the sweet smell

Or the slight crunch

Of my envy when others had them;

And when I got my own hands on them

They had no chance.

The slight powder of flour on the surface,

Melting on my tongue,

Making it water like nectar,

Slobbering onto a honeysuckle stem.

Even as the surface melted away

A crunch remained,

And my mouth filled with the flavor.

Sweet, fake, baked cheese.

It was a taste of comfort.

And yet I digress,

Only my envy remains

For when I taste that taste

Or that flour melts on my tongue

Today it tastes like a slow death

Through the possible development of cancer¹

It may bring me

And that would be quite a terrible taste.

_{1 With celiac disease, the gluten proteins in Goldfish crackers eventually wear away at the body, usually causing the formation of intestinal cancer.}