cake again

we didn’t blame him for his inability to nourish

or the absence of flavor exposed by a plastic serving utensil

or his elation in watching his offering rapidly turn into waste like so much did

and sometimes we found comfort in the reflection we saw in the mixture of saliva and cake spilling from the mouths of others

who chewed as applause

but we did resent the feast and the baker

for serving what he did

and the microwave for demanding something be placed on its spinning plate

and the celebration that seemed to last longer

than we all wanted