Sugar

By R.J. Byrd

I am a tiny grain of sugar.

My polished exterior does not belie my sweetness.

I am a luscious, sugary speck.

But you did not know this; you never saw me.

I do not blame you; I was dull and uncaring of my appearance.

You stepped on me.

I was at the bottom of your shoe.

I was happy to be there, to travel at such fast speeds.

Each two-second glimpse of the world was amazing.

But you did not care for me.

You walked on the filthiest roads and stepped in befouled streets.

Slowly I grew.

The dregs of the streets and gutters latched onto me.

Dirt and filth covered me until I no longer resembled a delicate grain of sugar

I was a hideous lump.

I became too big; you noticed me under your delicate foot.

You leaned over and scraped me off my coveted position at your sole.

I was alone and nothing of my original glory.

Passed over, kicked into the street, lonely.

One day, it rained.

A harsh thunderstorm churned the sky.

It shook me, tossed me; drug me around in its murky water until I felt light.

When dawn came, I was a beautiful particle of sugar once more.

Shiny, sweet, radiant, and so light.

I was able to move, almost float; I saw the world as it was meant to be seen

Full color, no glimpses, eyes wide open, ready for anything.

I knew I could never be on the bottom of a shoe again; I had a new desired spot.

The corner of a mouth.

Yes, the very corner of a mouth where I could hide in a crevice and wait for a

curious tongue.

It would taste me in all my saccharine glory.

Wondering where it picked up such a sweet treat.

How one molecule of sugar could coat the tongue so thoroughly and awaken the senses.

It would savor me.

I would be with it forever as the sweet surprise it never expected but would always cherish.