dump spicy meat, corn, chili beans

and shredded cheddar into

cheap tortillas and serve with

many beers to cook and be

not just one of the guys but

their hero too


crust salmon in lemon and cheese

in an oven and then make brown rice

a bit crunchy with asparagus gone limp

in a teriyaki broth and serve with

a chilled white to imply domestic

sensibilities and sex


unwrap a modest candy bar

crack into a small bag of

M&Ms and serve with a lot

of cocaine and cigarettes in a room

alone to induce a healthy panic

and sweat out all fear


make a blue box of mac and cheese

bake frozen fish sticks and heat a

can of peas on the stove in butter and serve

on a tray in front of the television to

feel like mom never died

and sleep heavily


spread crunchy peanut butter and

grape jelly over toasted wheat bread

slice in two and pour a mountain of goldfish crackers

between the two halves and serve with

apple juice in a glass bottle to have

the spunk of an eleven-year old without coffee


take Thursday off

order the benedict and orange juice for two for one

at an empty and bougie bruncherie

eat almost all of it to breathe easier and remember

why you moved here and why you need to leave

linger and tip big


AdlerJake Adler teaches kids at a private school in Brooklyn and is an MFA student of poetry at The New School. His debut chapbook, Calcutta Bang Bang (The Paper Knife, 2015), was published after a year of living in Kolkata, India on a Fulbright grant.

feature image via Chowhound

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