Lament for Lost Merienda

Merienda, n: (me-ryen-da) an afternoon snack or light meal

An interlude.

Sweet. Fleeting. Satisfying.

Afternoon assignations filled with delights

Day after day, as the seasons changed.

Winter chills kept at bay with hot chocolate and biscuits,

Summer swelter held at length with cool Italian soda and biscotti.

How our happiness grew!

An addiction.

Unanticipated. Unyielding. Unmerciful.

My need for you soon went beyond the midday

And I had to have you in the morning, too.

No longer sated by one cup, one treat:

Tall became Grande became Venti. Small became Large.

How my waistline grew!

A doubt.

Tiny. Persistent. Insidious.

I would reach a high in your presence

Only to crash down when I returned to my desk.

Oh, cruel fate! Could it be that you were no good for me?

My answer came as lethargy, moodiness, cellulite.

How my despair grew!

A break.

Sadness. Regret. Hunger.

Like an illicit lover, shamed by morning's light, I fled

But it was barely noticed as others ravenously took my place.

So I, too, found another when I gave myself to Mini-meals.

Six times a day. Three hundred calories each.

How my energy grew!

An understanding.

Realization. Acceptance. Reunion.

From coffee cup to water bottle, from candy bar to energy bar,

I traded your hedonistic pleasure for pious nutrition.

I am fit. I am healthy. I am starving for your sweet succor. 

But who says we must stay apart? Can't we all get along?

How my hope grows!

My lost merienda - will you please be my 3 o'clock mini-meal?