One day, my son asked me, "Which one of us do you love more?"
I grew uncomfortable and I looked down at the floor.
It was an answer that I didn't want to hurry.
He's an only child, so his question made me worry.
Could it be that once I dropped him on his brain,
or had I forgotten a child (which would have been insane)?
Should I tell him, "You have always been my favorite.
You should take satisfaction in that and savor it",
or should I be fair and diplomatically proclaim,
"I love all of my children pretty much the same"?
Perhaps, it would be more circumspect for me to say,
"I love each of you, in your own inimitable way".
I finally chose, "I love you more than any other child by far",
and he said, "Good - can I have the keys to the car?",
to which I replied, "It wouldn't be any bother,
except that I've already lent them to your brother".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Three shadows slipped through fluorescent halls,
silent as the dismissal bell's dying hum.
The home ec door—unlocked, of course,
swung wide on hinges slick with grease.
I kept my post beside the lockers,
listening for footsteps down the tile.
The scent of brown sugar and butter
drifted out like a traitor's whisper.
My friends emerged,
the chocolate chip cookie dough bowl
cradled between them,
gleaming under the exit sign's red eye.
Spoons plundered from the cutlery drawer~
our spoils now.
The bench by the soccer field,
pockmarked with old gum,
became our banquet table.
We dug in, sticky-fingered, laughing,
each mouthful sweeter for the sin.
(I only took a taste.
Just enough to lick the spoon clean.
Just enough to be complicit.)
Next morning, the janitor found
the empty bowl washed
and left politely in the sink.
No note. No crumbs~
only the smell of chocolate
and vanilla lingering
like an apology no one would ever hear.
*Related memoir vignette can be read at poetrysoup.com/short_stories/adventures_in_home_ec_class_13676
Motion-activated caught on camera
while cookies for the kids I was cooking
a collared cat crept into the kitchen
when I stepped outside and wasn't looking
his potty break was well-timed
as, sadly, I'd left the door unlocked
onto the counter by the sink he climbed
bared his butt and crapped in the crock
tho' he gave new meaning
to vanilla chocolate chip
if I ever collar him doing it again
his mangy tail end I'll severely whip
as, if he wants nine lives to live
he'd really best think twice
or he'll sleep with the fishes
(not eat them)
as such behaviour is just not nice
Chip Friends
Long ago my chip friends had
abandoned me. My inborn muteness is
highly offensive, but
legendary.
i have a craving today
my tongue salivates
a crinkling yellow bag
i tear it open
salty and sour
potato
chips
21/2cups of flour( self rising)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 whole eggs+ 1 yolk
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of Gin
1/2 Teaspoon of lemon zest
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 &1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon of dried chives
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Table spoon of dehydrated onion
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon of Paresean Cheese
3 cups of shucked Manoes
6 cups of oil for deep frying
mix all ingredeints
minus the clams
create a batter
add more or less to
create a sticky consistant batter
smooth
dip Manoes in the batte
and deep fry until golden brown
serve from a bed of watercrest
small cunks of deseed watermelon
crumbled feta
and fried onions with crumbled bacon
lettuce, fried green tomatos
and a vinagerette
serve with tartar sauce
Enjoy!
Chip Woman
She was everyone’s craving – a rectangular piece of deep-fried potato:
a salt and vinegar one,
one that made them glow.
She was the too friendly –
and the too trusting – type.
Raised well she’d been.
She lived up to her hype.
One afternoon she delivered
a book to an old woman, who
had lots of ants as pets,
who kept saying Hello and Thank You.
She said she wouldn’t stay long
but the ants had planned differently along.
While the old woman was in the bathroom
the ants cornered Chip Woman and ate her up quick.
When the old woman returned smelling of perfume
they swore to her, and she believed them, that
Chip Woman had to split to buy a bathing costume.
playful dolphins popped out of lake
frolicking like sixties Chip and Dale cartoons
Bringing a smile to my face
adding a new kind of joy to sundown at the ocean
playful dolphins popped out of lake
frolicking like sixties Chip and Dale cartoons
Bringing a smile to my face
adding a new kind of joy to sundown at the lake
Goodness and crisp
Taste that can’t be missed
No one can just eat one
That’s why the bag can be finished done
It’s doesn’t matter the brand
Potato Chips are eaten throughout the land
Plenty of flavor
Ingredients to savor
Every crunch
Throughout the bunch
Goes well with a hamburger and sandwich
Potato chips are distinguished
Every delight
It includes even at night
P for Perfection and C for any celebration
The lil chocolate chip
Was lost and alone
He just wanted a place
To finally belong
He saw a candy bar
And though it was home
He had to runoff but
Still ends up alone
While he searched around
With tears running down
Lots of chocolate chip steps that
Made him look like a clown
But low and behold
He stumbles across
A beautiful plain cookie
Who made him the boss
Gideon’s huge, but he is no fatty;
walked at ten months, a strapping young laddie.
Though he’s happy and grins,
I’m so sorry for him;
everyone says he looks like Big Daddy!
I have no basis
for thinking chocolate won't
make me feel better
As imperfection fills our lives
perfection, we crave still
I think about just what it means
and how it pains our will
The quest for what does not exist
the drive to make it right
The disappointment that ensues
at how we lose the fight
The chip that flaws my favorite bowl
may bother me and yet
It simply adds to stories past
and one I won’t forget
The ding, the dent, the thread that bares
the soul that loses trust
They still have value in the love
that thrives and so we must
Consider how the chip relates
to life and love and soul
It’s just a piece of what we are
and not what makes us whole
The nerd invented a special chip
His co-workers called him a clueless dip
But the chip took-off
Which gave them a cough
Now they're staying clued to his hip
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