Thawing Strawberries

the sweet taste of strawberries
is more tart when frozen

each one is speckled with seeded pollen
that is embedded on a wrinkled surface

that reminds me of a sun-worshipper's rough skin
or a budding teenager with pimples

but oh, how I like to admire the upward curl
of each strawberry's leaves (before beheading them)

like a lotus retiring for the night
or a crackling starburst on New Year's Eve

falling, falling, dissolving ever so quickly
in the form of a patient pucker