between the surgical scars

nestled in the palmist’s map of divination

a cherry awaits placement among molars

there to be flex-pressed until she bursts

and cascades her flavor over a nimble tongue

that teams w/teeth to strip her stone of meat

the stone placed like a tongue-set jewel

and pluck’d by scarred-hand fingers

while the meat is sent for processing

to become an essential part

of a poet