Jelly Apple

I often bring a jelly apple
In my bag for lunch.
I love its combination
Of both stickiness and crunch.

Sometimes it’s topped with coconut;
Most often, it’s just nuts.
When someone sees me eating one,
Her mouth opens and shuts.

Is that a jelly apple?
I am asked by one in shock.
Wherever did you get it?
They think I turned back the clock.

At first I do explain
That these are from a modern batch.
The jelly’s soft and gooey
So your teeth will not detach.

It’s hard to find the ones I love,
With coating hard and brittle.
When you eat one of those
Your face is covered in red spittle.

But oh, that first determined bite
To crack that outer shell!
If you have sunk your teeth in one,
You know that feeling well.

The candy apples sold in stores
Remind us of our youth,
But nothing’s quite the same today –
And sadly, that’s the truth.