Chicken Soup Confession

Simmering underneath regret
Right as the little bubbles form
On the side of the new soup pot

Before it becomes crowded with
The carcass and the vegetation
Seconds before the steam appears

When the liquid is perfect, well
Almost perfect, OK, perfect enuf
Bubbling beneath each mistake

Is a promise to free my self
Along with the harsh realization
That to not love you makes me sick

Yet to love you sickens me still
And chicken soup isn’t what I need
I need to walk when the water

Is not broth cluttered with
Dead things
Thrown in by your hands

Miss Page Takes Attendance

Miss Yvonne Page calls out strange names
Ginorio, Malik, Jamaal, Tavoy, Dong Tang
She’s learning to master a brand new language
The changing neighborhood asked her to do so

But her passion for teaching still translates ‘good’
Into the fresh new vernacular, the flava is saffron
The words are foreign, an unfamiliar flavoring
Awaking her palate and renewing her taste buds

Miss Page calls out strange new first names of
Beverly’s, Pearlene’s, Barbara’s and Jeanette’s
Sons: who have given names that are chosen
To reflect family: heritage, aspirations and trust

Their names appear on her computer screen
With red squiggly lines underneath, until she
Right click and then adds them to her dictionary
Accepting their names is just that easy to do, so

Her new pupils speaking fluent I-am-boldly-me
As they all clearly announce to Ms Page “present”

elijah b pringle, III, works in the insurance and banking industry and has held several positions mostly in training and quality. He has facilitated business and creative writing workshops and was the past editor-in-chief of IMPACT, a business periodical. To his credit are the editing and publishing of several chap books by other poets. His work will soon be published by the Edison Poetry Review and the River Poets Journal. He has already appeared on-line in “The God’s Are Bore.” He is also the former on-air host of Panoramic Poetry at OctoberGallery.com.