My Heaven on Earth

by K.A.

Driving to my heaven on Earth 

The howls of my stomach overpower the loud bass of the radio

The thunderstorm inside of my stomach intensifies with every passing second

My brothers 

Kicking, punching, slapping like mortal kombat enemies

My father

Hibernates like a grizzly bear in the passenger's seat

My mother, 

Drives like Ms.Daisy

Me, tapping my right foot, trying to divert my attention to anything,

To everything but the rumbling in my stomach

Finally arriving, my heartbeat begins to race 

A big smile stretches across my face as I envision what awaits me behind those glass doors

Every step I take

I’m getting closer and closer to what feels like my destiny

I swiftly open the front door 

And stop 

Admiring the sight before me 

Lines and lines of tempting, delectable, diverse trays of food

I feel just as a kid on Christmas day

I cannot contain myself

I begin to walk around the spacious buffet  

Catching a glimpse of the rushing waiters and messy kids but I get sidetracked

Suddenly a whiff of deliciousness hits my nose

Landing like a Muhammed Ali punch

I follow my nose and in front of me

The most divine, buttery crab legs await me

Screaming my name 

Begging to come with me

I lift the tongs

Snatch two clusters of thick, juicy crab legs

Take two small steps and use the tongs to grab a healthy amount of steamed, headless shrimp

I walk over to the sides in a trance

I lift the spoon 

And scoop two, big, cheesy scoops of mac & cheese onto my plate

I walk past the vegetables

Turn up my nose and head to my seat

I have tunnel vision

All I see

All I hear

All I smell

Is the plate in front of me

I sanitize my hands

The shells of the shrimp crack and fall

I pop that joint in my mouth

And I’m in a trance

I hear angels singing

I use my spoon and drive the mac & cheese right into my mouth

With every bite I feel my stomach enclosing

Filling up

Losing space

But I want more

I need more

My mind jumps from soft

Chewy, gooey

Melt in your mouth chocolate chip cookies

To smooth

Creamy

Vanilla ice cream

Ah

Just the thought makes my taste buds dance in joy

I get out my seat with one agenda

DESSERT

I skip over to the various desserts and there it is

Warm

Gooey chocolate chip cookies

I grab the tongs 

Pick up three cookies

And begin my search for ice cream 

Like a lion that spots its prey I pounce

I dive head first into the smooth vanilla ice cream

Pick up the spoon and scoop two big, tall mountains into my bowl

I practically trip over my feet rushing back to my seat

I take one cookie from my plate

Break it in half and stick it right in my ice cream

I use the spoon and dive in

I take a pause

Mmmm

Every bite brings me closer and closer to love

But then

It’s gone

There’s no more

Yet the sweet

The salty

The tangy

Still tango on my tongue

My mind still yearns for more but my stomach cries no

My mom says wrap it up time to go

And I’m saved by the bell

Because I was tempted to follow my mind and not my stomach