It seems to appear overnight,
Yet, bitterness grows slowly.
It takes time to insinuate
Itself between one’s teeth
Until each bite no matter
How sweet has a cynic’s tang,
And one cannot spit enough
To remove the dubious sneer.
Does it arrive with the first
Disappointment? The first inkling
As a child that the promise
Was a lie? That the stated truth
Was no more real than god
Waiting with a beatific smile?
(July 23, 2017)
subtext 