the secret Of a love that never wanes

Lines written upon hearing the startling news 

that cocoa is, in fact, a mild aphrodisiac. 

 

Half past nine—high time for supper; 

'Cocoa, love?' 'Of course, my dear.'

Helen thinks it quite delicious, 

John prefers it now to beer. 

Knocking back the sepia potion, 

Hubby winks, says,
'Who's for bed?' 

'Shan't be long,'
says Helen softly, 

Cheeks a faintly flushing red. 

For they've stumbled on the secret 

Of a love that never wanes, 

Rapt beneath the tumbled bedclothes, 

Cocoa coursing through their veins 

 

[Stanley J. Sharpless {1910-?} 'In Praise of Cocoa, Cupid's Nightcap', from Eat, Drink, and be Merry: Poems about food and drink in Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets]