Warm chocolate pastries 
all night they rested in the cold oven 
frozen rectangles on the verge of freezer burn 
lay quietly on parchment paper

over the course of the required nine hours 
while I slept 
they defrosted, rose and grew
to almost 4 times their frozen size!

In that early morning wakefulness, 
I stumble into the kitchen to turn the oven on 
memory served me and I wanted to get a head start

The oven light clicked on and they began 
the final leg of their journey 
into fullness, their greatest potential 
becoming a reality in my toasty oven

the white pastry dough 
became golden like the rising sun 
and their baked delight 
swam into the air and nestled 
into every nook and corner of our walls

If I closed my eyes tight enough, 
I could imagine being in my very own bakery

The timer dinged and the baked chocolatey, 
ooey-gooey goodness rested on the stove 
until it was safe enough to handle 

and then they were promptly devoured 
by my daughter as she read her fiction book, 
crunching the flaky crust

The smell lingered on 
long after the chocolate croissants 
were devoured and gone