Chocolate Frosty

An icy symbol of hope.

Illustration by Jerry Lesperance

Racy Rafique

it’s cold out

but you still insist

on a frozen dessert

we have so much to celebrate

we’re young and in love

your smile grows wider as i enquire

‘what exactly is a frosty?’

you order a vanilla treat

i crinkle my nose

i don’t even have to ask,

you already know what i would like

we sit in your car

i’m eating a chocolate frosty for the first time

my lips are cold

but my cheeks are warm,

flooded with the colour of your love

we overshare in a way that we will one day regret

but in this moment

life is okay

we have so much to celebrate

you have ice cream on your nose

time passes and things change

from time to time

you still look at me with that smile that reaches your eyes

‘let’s get you a chocolate frosty’ you say

like nothing has changed.

vanilla lips meet chocolate

and i can’t help but smile

at all the ways you have shown me the world

starting with a chocolate frosty.