Grappled

" When someone's mother in the neighborhood brought out a handful of freeze-pops for all the kids in the street, which color did you choose? "

I always

GRASPED

at the least colorful

GRAPPLED

with the guilt

of artificial color

GRATIFIED

my proclivity for

perpetual foreboding

GARGLED

the off-white substance

with trepidation

convincing myself

that it’s at least 10%

real lemon

before

GULPING

it down