by Andi Penner

 

cleaved in two
each tiny green dot

boiled with onion, bay leaf
no pattern or rhyme

chaos roiling
in a copper pot

with basil, pepper
thyme, and parsley

chopped carrots,
celery, leftover ham

watching, stirring
maintaining the flame

comfort simmers in numbers
the peas coalesce

today’s menu
nourished bodies

a measure of strength
for tomorrow’s fight

 


Andi Penner stirs soup, trouble, and poetry in her Albuquerque kitchen when she’s not busy writing and querying her memoir.