When the Waiter Switched Our Desserts

Laurie Kolp

July 28, 2024

Come on now. You know Key Lime Pie 

beats cheesecake every time.

Even if I call your bluff, 

you know I do not approve 

of such connivance 

as trying to convince me otherwise.

Yes, there might be cherries 

on top of cheesecake; 

and yes, I have watched you 

tie cherry stems into knots 

with your tongue— I am not blind. 

I simply prefer Key Lime Pie. 

It reminds me of freshly mown grass, 

petrichor’s earthy scent after rain. 

Lime makes me want to frolic, 

makes me think of kids 

skipping in parks and rolling down hills. 

Can’t you see I need that Key Lime Pie? 

Its tartness flushes away

the pent-up pallid way I feel, 

not cheesecake. I need the vitality 

of green to boost my appetite for life, 

the zing of lime to make me feel alive 

in this very moment. The green 

of a golf course, the sheen of

emerald, your smiling eyes. 

Now give me that Key Lime Pie.

Laurie Kolp is the author of the full-length collection, Upon the Blue Couch, and chapbook, Hello, It's Your Mother. Her poetry has been published worldwide. She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Orison Anthology of spiritually engaged writing. Laurie also enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family.