We Were in a Booth

Amy Crutchfield

of the sort where anything is possible

surrounded by velvet, like a coffin

except here you would die

only a little, or

if you were already dead

you might come back to life

when, as a person slips

a warm Hong Kong egg tart

from its patty case, you released my breast

from its lace cup

and bent your head.

Have you tasted the incredible

silken sweetness

of dan tat 蛋挞?

A custard sun.

The pastry so light

it dissipates on contact.

You cannot touch it without damage.

Like the illuminated manuscript

on the fourth floor, where the custodian

handed us gloves. Damage is part of it.

And we touch anyway.

AMY CRUTCHFIELD’s debut collection The Cyprian was published by Giramondo in 2023 and received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2024.