far

Poetry

On Being Perfectly Happy in Domestication

Harvey Lee
issue four

No less than every dish in the house 
to make dinner. A meatloaf
for the sake of nostalgia. 
Mashed potatoes go perfect. 
Green beans too, just because. I 
tried this thing that I saw online, 
and halfway through realized
I’m just making the meatloaf glaze 
twice. I laugh and carry on
like it’s my job. This isn’t 
a meal for now. Every bite 
will be leftovers. But isn’t
that how you’re supposed to eat meatloaf?
When it’s all done, we’ll drive out 
someplace nice and walk the dogs 
a mile or three. Maybe
we will get ice cream before dinner 
to eat in the car. The dogs will
beg, but I’ll get mine with fresh 
raspberries and brownie pieces, 
so it is impossible to share.
Finally, we’ll eat dinner
while watching TV in bed.
Soon after, I’ll fall asleep
like I always do. In the morning, 
I’ll clean every dish in the house 
and be glad we have leftovers
to cushion the kitchen from my 
next meal.