In Denver it is illegal
for dandelions to grow within the city limits
and in Pennsylvania
it is against the law
to hide dirt underneath rugs
and at the Davis County Fair
it is sacrilege
to use artificial sweeteners
in preserves.
When I was 6 years old
and my hands were still too small
to open jars
my grandmother taught me
to whisper to the peaches
because secrets
are the sweetest things we know.
Like how Great-Grandpa Mayhew
changed his last name to Mayo.
And how it is now uncertain
if my grandparents
were ever legally married.
Last Friday
I told the peaches
that I had been lying
when I told my grandmother
I had too much homework to visit.
I told the peaches
that I still blamed you
for following the scent of cobbler
to my front door.
My hands are much bigger now
and I can open jars
without difficulty.
But they do not know
how to hold
with any sort of permanence.
When I visit my grandmother
I leave my blue ribbons
next to the flowers.
My secrets have nowhere left to go.