Love and Flour

She smiles like morning through the rain,
The oven's warmth still calls my name.
She brings the plate with trembling hands,
And love is more than I can stand.

She says, I baked it just for you
I smile, what else could I do
The frosting cracks, the center's raw
But she's glowing like I'm in awe
I take a bite, it's dense as stone
My taste buds cry, my heart alone
But love demands I play the part
So I chew with all my heart

She's watching close, her eyes so bright
I nod like it's divine tonight
Inside I die, but I can't show
The truth she'll never know

Oh, the taste of love and flour
Burnt edges, yet I devour
Every grain of sugar pain
Still I'd eat it all again
Oh, the taste of love and flour
My tongue may never recover
But she smiles, that's worth the ache
For the love baked in that cake

She asks, too sweet. I shake my head
Though my soul is seeing red
The spoon bends under frosting's weight
This is destiny, or fate
The oven's smoke still in the air
But I tell her, nothing can compare
Each bite's a battle I can't win
But her laugh pulls me in

If honesty could save me now
I'd tell her how my taste buds drown
But silence is the braver art
When it's someone's beating heart

Oh, the taste of love and flour
Burnt edges, yet I devour
Every grain of sugar pain
Still I'd eat it all again
Oh, the taste of love and flour
My tongue may never recover
But she smiles, that's worth the ache
For the love baked in that cake

Maybe love's supposed to sting
Like bitter frosting in the spring
I'll swallow pride, I'll swallow fire
Her joy's my one desire

Oh, the taste of love and flour
A test of man, a tender power
Every crumb, I'll face my fate
For love's not measured by the plate
Oh, the taste of love and flour
She kissed my cheek, I felt the hour
Where truth and kindness softly break
In the love baked in that cake

She walks away, her heart so light
I sip some water out of sight
And whisper, Lord, what did she make
Still smiling, for love's sake