In this project, I study what it means to be “sweet.” This is a word I’ve been described as many times in my life. What does it mean to be sweet? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Can you be too sweet? To study this, I arranged a display of “sweet” objects innocently outside, doused in honey, candy, and other confections. Then I waited. The results are photographed below, paired with a poem I wrote.
She’s so sweet she’ll rot your teeth
Lick the spoon
Bite the candy
The sweetest things are oh so dandy
The honey sticks and clings beneath
Transforming the shiny porcelain teeth
They begin to stain and bruise and decay
Rotting away from the sweetness of the day
The ants come marching to have a bite
The flies are swarming for an afternoon delight
They divide and share the candied remains
Buried in the molars and gummy membranes
Isn’t it the sweetest thing?