Amuse bouche: honey-soaked Smyrna fig with bitter Kurds
Soup: bisque of watered-down regulations, topped with nutmeg and shredded tax
returns
Appetizer: bruschetta of tariff-marinated soybeans and pork belly, dusted with
artisanal Kentucky coal
Salad: wilted checks and balances, arugula, and raw ego, with a drizzle of raspberry—
infused Saudi sweet light crude
Entrée: tenderloin Republican reputation, flash-seared and bloody in the center,
served with blanched asparagus wrapped in subpoena parchment
Sorbet: whipped frozen tears of Guatemalan children, with savor of Miller lemon
Dessert: half-baked crumble of sour grapes, drowned in a simple syrup of self-pity
Wine List: Diet Coke
Pepper Trail is a poet and naturalist based in Ashland, Oregon. His poetry has appeared in Rattle, Atlanta Review, Spillway, Kyoto Journal, Cascadia Review, and other publications, and has been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net awards. His collection Cascade-Siskiyou was a finalist for the 2016 Oregon Book Award in Poetry.