Apricot Pits and Bitter Almonds

She stared at me when she rang the pecans
for $2.99 a pound. She mumbled the price
of apple cider. Then she stared at me
when she rang the pineapple, coconut and raisins.
Finally she said in a clear voice,
"Don't they have any bags for the spinach."
She got her fingers muddy.
"Anyone else, anyone else," she said.
"Excuse me, mam, I forgot the tea in my basket.
"I'm sorry, you have to ring second ticket."
But really my trip to the farmer's market
was a useless remedy to my coffee addiction.
Like apricot pits and bitter almonds,
useless remedy for cancer, cyanide in the blood.
I stopped for coffee on the way home.


From my cookbook, The Supper Club,© 1985, Rozanne.

This one is for desserts. I wrote it at a time I was trying to give up coffee.