THE LAST PIE I BAKE FOR YOU

When someone makes you
The Perfect Cherry Pie,
you do not freeze it
only to comment months later 
that upon reheating the crust was a little soggy

Lie to me if you must –
tell me you shared it with friends 
who ohhhed and ahhhed 
over the perfectly browned crust,
the decorative cherry crust adornment
[that freezing & thawing made soggy]

Tell me you hid it and savored every last bite
all to yourself.

Tell me you had to give it away because you were going out of town 
and the widow you gave it to recognized 
the skill in a homemade crust 
that she knew you could not do

Tell me you shared it with your trusted sidekick Sadie Dog 
between the two you licked the pie plate clean

Tell me the cherries were the perfect kind of tart you love

But when I create for you
The Perfect Cherry Pie,
DO NOT FREEZE IT

Jean Podralski is an emerging writer living in Pennsylvania with her husband and wild ‘dingo dog’ Teagan. Jean earned a degree in Secondary English from Slippery Rock University. She has served as a freelance editor, contributor to the Allied News Forum and opinion editorial, and taught Middle School English, south of Atlanta, all the while creating poetry in quiet. Currently she is steeping in the poetry of Nikita Gill and Nikki Giovanni.