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
Jake 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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