I had never heard of red velvet cake,
I asked, is it like polyester pie,
crème de corduroy, denim doughnuts?
You rushed to meet me, bringing
a thick wedge of the mysterious cake.
It was clearly not a human food.
It must function otherwise. Aztec elite
relaxed with red velvet cake on their tray tables.
It powered the long flights of seraphim.
You sat on my legs and fed me bits of the cake
and I fed you; we kissed, lips stroked together.
So romantic a ceremony, my eyes tear, my body
heats to your fever, your germs are my germs.
I am radiant and aglow with you, this manna
you prepared as the angels did, we wed this way,
our arms around each other, we reside temporarily
in Paradise; you cozen and feed me. We take
each other in until we are one and the same.
Bionote
Leonard Orr has published two collections: Why We Have Evening (2010) and Timing Is Everything (2012). His new collection, A Floating Woman, is scheduled for publication at the end of 2015.