Guidelines



Submission Guidelines: Send 1-3 unpublished poems in the body of an email (NO ATTACHMENTS) to nvneditor[at]gmail.com. No simultaneous submissions. Use "Verse News Submission" as the subject line. Send a brief bio. No payment. Authors retain all rights after 1st-time appearance here. Scroll down the right sidebar for the fine print.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

BAKING BEFORE THE ELECTION

by Joy Kreves




There just happened to be exactly 

the right amount of butter in the fridge 

to make the Blood Orange boxed cake 

and frosting mix 

that sat in the cupboard for over a year

just waiting for election anxiety to crescendo

into a medicinal need for baked goods. 

 

The citrus flavor was out of sync 

with this Season of the Dead warm pumpkin, 

apple and caramel, yet a perfect flavor note 

for a particular person, on this day

of this year.

 

Who knew cake mixes could be best 

when left to ripen in the dark like pears

into an allure that calls out in a time of need

says, I’m here, yes, I’m here,

I’ve been waiting for you—

 

not shouted in a threatening way, not

like it’s wandering down a hallway 

I’m here, I’m coming for you, Nancy,

Nancy, where are you? Not menacing like that.                          

 

Look at this cake’s color—a delightful pink 

neither bloody nor orange.

Nothing revolting, nono assault on the senses

no clobbering of tastebuds

just a small tart dance upon the tongue

an antidote for its time, this time.

 

If it had to write its own package description.            

it might state as its aim 

to serve a slice of laughter, a forkful of delight

for that overburdened, anxious brain.

I am at my best when paired

with pre-election hand-wringing.



Joy Kreves is an artist/poet in Central New Jersey, where she watches in horror as civil society comes crashing down around her. She is the Managing Editor of US1 Worksheets, in which she has had poems published, as well as several art exhibition catalogs. Her recent chapbook is Nature of The Beast.