I knew ahead of time
that you'd never forgive me,
but you had so many
and I wanted to know.
So I took all of your chocolate bars,
unwrapped them in a row
and put half of each
on a baking sheet,
writing down when a piece turned soft
and again when its skin shined wet,
then arranged and glued into a box
(smelling of coins and rocks) all the
rest—
Side-by-side, rugged to sensitive, with
temperatures written above:
“82 (where it softens),
96 (where it melts).”
(call it wasteful
and a mess;
such is love).
When I first read the title and looked at the picture, I was reminded of the quote from the movie Forrest Gump that says “Life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re going to get.” I thought about what that quote means, while looking at the photo with its unique assortment of chocolate truffles. In life, everyone has their own unique path and you might as well bite into each step of the way in order to taste the magic of its mystery. In the photo there is a clock, and we only have so much time to finish the box and try every flavor, or in life, explore every path. As the poem speaks about someone unwrapping and analyzing someone’s chocolates, I was reminded of how one in a relationship learns everything about their partner. When one is truly in love, they want to learn about every part of them, even the small details that the person themself might have forgotten about. The speaker took note of the smallest things, such as when the chocolate softened and melted, similar to how a person might take note of what makes their beloved happy or what drives them insane. The speaker is aware that the process might have been wasteful and a mess comparing it to love. One might learn everything about someone they admire, and dedicate their whole lives to them, only for the flavor of the chocolate to be bitter and distasteful. Some chocolates in a chocolate box may have a bad taste, but the more bad pieces you have, the closer you are to the milk chocolate cream filled truffle. It may not be the best experience putting your heart and soul on the table for someone else, but you will know what to look for in the next partner. For me personally, chocolate is my favorite food. I eat it almost every day of my life. However, when I receive a box of chocolates I know I will not like every single flavor. It is worth the journey to try every flavor, regardless of the disappointments along the way.
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