Reese's and Chocolate Ice Cream

This piece is probably one of the oldest ones I’ve ever published because most of the time I write something new. However, I have over 70 pieces collecting dust in the vault, so I have to start clearing it out to make space for new work. I turned this in for my memoir class my sophomore year of college. And I kinda just free wrote because I procrastinated the assignment to what I thought was the due date (whole time, I turned it in three days late). But this was one of the first experiences of me writing from my heart and it being received well outside of poetry. And my poetry back then was not good. Mostly sentences with random line breaks, but at least it conveyed a story.

Back to the topic at hand! If you know me, you know, I love Reese’s and Chocolate Ice Cream but what you don’t know is that I have memories deeply attached to the summertime intertwined with my favorite desserts.

THE PIECE

Bittersweet memories arise from the food I love the most, desserts. Chocolate ice cream with Reese's remind me of her every time.

Every summer of high school, she would spend a week at my house. Our daily activities would include binge-watching Netflix, gossiping, and trampoline time.

Trampoline time meant that we would clean it off for 10 minutes to jump for all of 5 minutes. Then we would sneak out the fence to go on a walk to the closest store, Wawa.

The walk to Wawa was full of laughter defeating the purpose of trying to be sneaky. I would grab a pint of Haagen-Dazs and a couple of Reese's. She would complain about the lack of F ‘Real Machine at this specific location and settle for a pint of Ben and Jerry's. We would pay and happily walk back under the beating sun. Then we would sit on the trampoline and talk and eat our ice cream.

The world wasn't real. Just the two of us and my confused feelings for the first year. Confused because I was still figuring myself out and yet she seemed to have it down pact.

The second year, I had no longer found her intriguing in any way. And by the third year, things no longer felt real to me. Unbeknownst to me, our friendship was rotting like the plastic of the trampoline.

With every December, the summertime resurfaces. I get reminiscent of how close we were and how quickly it all faded away. Like the bugs on the trampoline, she refused to leave my mind.

Who would have known that fourteen years of friendship would mean nothing compared to something I did not even say? She gave me many reasons to walk away and instead I stuck by her. One silly little moment of vulnerability and honesty, and she leaves me in the dust.

At this time, I was applying to colleges. My mind raced with thoughts of how were supposed to go to the same school, and now we did not even wish each other happy birthday. The worst part was not the fact that she abandoned me when I really needed her, but the lying. Lying to my face for a full year while I was under the impression that everything was cool is unforgivable. I hate to admit it, but maybe my mother was right about her.

By the end of my first semester of college, I was officially a published poet. I wished I could have celebrated that with her, done it with her. But instead, I could only sit in bed and eat chocolate ice cream and Reese's.  We could've taken the first steps to our goals together. But I guess I have her to thank for giving me heartbreak to endure, to cry, to remember that led me to writing. Like the leaves that would we clean up, there will always be remnants of you.

JOURNAL ENTRY

Wow, rereading this for the first time after writing it and I was hurt. My goodness, this was so harsh. I contemplated releasing this for a while and ultimately it came down to one of my friends. I knew he was going to say drop it, regardless of how much context I provided, but I asked anyway because it was more so about figuring out how I felt deep inside. And the truth is I don’t care. I don’t resonate with that hurt version of myself, I don’t even think about shawty for real so this isn’t an accurate representation of where I stand now. This was just me clearing out the vault and diversifying the content type in all honesty.

THE PROMPTS

• Poetry Prompt: Explore the idea of laughter echoing through a memory that has since turned quiet.

• Journal Prompt: Write about a friendship that once meant everything to you but eventually faded. How do you process those feelings now?

• Writing Prompt: Explore a dish or snack that brings up complex emotions. How does it connect to someone from your past?

• Poetry Prompt: Write a poem comparing a relationship to a trampoline—something bouncy, fragile, and eventually worn out.

As always, take what resonates and leave what doesn’t!

With love, always

Natasha K