"girlfriends and chocolate..."

we gather like school girls
grown women on a field trip for
tea and chocolate...

there is a tinkling of something light
and sweet, like powered sugar falling
on finely blown crystal and a voice
calls from somewhere secret, "hello.."

we are giddy with anticipation as
the scent of steeping tea and tempering
chocolate wafts through the air.
the crackle of spun sugar and the
someone softly humming from behind the
swinging wooden door....the whisper of
a Viennese waltz...

we are entering the land of confection,
the sacntuary of sweets...a place where
all women become girls, and teddy bears
at the tea party, are replaced by "best friends forever"
who have seen you through, heard your cry,
dried your tears, and told you "you can do it..."

lavender-infused dark chocolate truffles,
sea salt on milk chocolate caramels,
strawberrys and raspberries in fluted petals of
semi-sweet....oolong, earl grey, ginger peach...

and, most importantly, laughter....
laughter and tears...