Today’s writing prompt is a poem. You can write on the theme or mood of the poem, or a line, or a word. Write whatever comes up for you.

The Sadness of Ice Cream by Ron Salisbury

The emperor had his and  I’ve had mine,  home churned

on the fourth of July, spoon after spoon after she called,

gelato in Ravenna, Neapolitan–chocolate was the best–

pints, bars,  Liz  Topps  said next summer let’s eat lots,

plopped  a  spoonful  of  Rocky  Road  on her bare belly.

No more, my doctor says.   Cholesterol, blood pressure.

Besides, right at the beginning, first cone, bite, spoonful

licked off the belly,  we  begin  to measure how much is

left not how much there was. The sadness of ice cream.

Ron Salisbury is a writer who has integrated his poetry with his business life for decades.

Now, three wives deep, four children long, and assorted careers past, he continues to study, publish and write in San Diego.  His new book, Miss Desert Inn. is being published this fall by Main Street Press, Charlotte, NC