the dieter has returned
and outlawed sweet treats
the new rule is savory
measured and clocked
the cookie sheet must be puzzled
no more plop and sizzle
of chocolatey dough
no oohs and aahs
when they’re too hot to touch
no groans of bliss
after one is lifted
and the cookie jar?
dark and silent again
the few crumbs left sit
in solitary confinement
begging for release
for nothing they did wrong
and pray for a pardon
from the lawmaker’s right hand
at least a humanitarian furlough
while his left sleeps
caught in the headlights
of a saccharine dream