House Of Donuts

Who can judge
the veracity of
capricious memory
but of all the marvelous
baked and fried
morning pastries
I've consumed
the best, the ideal
came from the now defunct
House of Donuts
on Auburn Street
in Rockford Illinois.

Once perhaps
a gas station,
truck stop,
or greasy-spoon diner
converted to a pantheon
for ring-shaped cake
the decor- seedy 70's
the clientele- brash
but friendly
in that quintessential
gritty Midwestern way
but the wares, gods the wares!

Crispy crullers
silky long johns
decadent danishes
precarious mounds
of donut holes
rich chocolate options
and tangy citrus concoctions
fruit-filled turnovers
and rich ridged old-fashioneds
jelly, jam, and cream stuffed
frosted, glazed, and flaky
a vast and joyous smorgasbord
that satiated and consoled
the years of my youth.

The House of Donuts
may have fallen
but it will live forever
flavorous and redolent
in the minds of countless
loyal customers like me.