by Phyllis Wax
With a sharp knife he strips away all rules.
Tosses self-control. Don’t need that. He pulls
bigotry and hatred from the back shelf of the pantry
where they’ve been boxed up, stirs them into a roux.
Lavishly seasons with resentment and fear.
Still, need some help here. And the kitchen staff
leaps into action. They chop and dice, add more spice.
The chef continues stirring, turns up the heat
until a stench permeates the neighborhood,
until the stew boils over.
Social issues are a major focus of Milwaukee poet Phyllis Wax. Her work appears in numerous anthologies and journals, both on line and in print. Reach her at poetwax38(at)gmail.com .