Candy Machine Poem by Melissa Hurst

Cold and sparkling is its shell,
what a thrill to see
the beauty within!

O, its candies look so delectable!
I deposit a quarter of my soul,
only to be fed foul.

Grazing constellation
offers bittersweet reconciliation.
It deposits its poisonous sweets so generously,
for it knows it will bring rot to its victim.

But there is a familiar ingredient
that lies buried underneath all the bittersweetness,
and it tastes so wonderful
that I deposit more of my spirit each time I see the machine.

But when I have nothing left to pay,
when I have bartered and sold my soul,
my heart, and emotion,
will the machine be satisfied,
or will its sugary spell fade?

Or will the process continue?
Will the machine spew forth the quarters of my soul
until I am whole again?
And will I regurgitate the sour sweets
until it is full and prepared to cast its sly spell?