Napo 9

Today's prompt was to imagine the large and the small coming together. I had a little fun. I want to keep working on this poem yet. I imagine a poem about God baking a cheesecake and being disappointed with the results, the cracks, like the cracks and fractures that exist within our own society.

The Cracked Cheesecake of God

What the fuck? I tried my best,

Followed the steps laid out

By centuries of wisdom—

Warm everything in your palms

With love, crack the eggs

With a certain gentleness

Into the bowl, mix slowly,

Slowly, slowly, let the batter

Come together gradually

Before pouring it into that spring foam pan

Of a nation that will mold it into something

Everyone agrees is a masterpiece.

But no. I slid it into the oven,

Put a low heat, and still—

I leave it there for a moment,

Step away to fix my tempest

In a teacup just to find

Those hairline fractures in the surface of its skin,

Separating, deepening as it bakes

Into faultlines that mar

What should be perfection.

Shit. I did my best.

I throw up my hands

And grieve it just the same

As a continent slipping away

Into the ocean of dissent.