Jonathan Berger's Poetry: Poem of the Day
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THIS HIDEOUS DISH

An award should be given.
A trophy bestowed
For this astonishing feat
This fantastic accomplishment
This horrid meal.

This… this grotesquerie that you have prepared
It distresses my senses
Leaves me aware of my life and its inroads, its outroads
and the varied intermediary paths
As they all flash before me.

This plate you place before me
Is without doubt, the ugliest, most frightening curiosity I have ever seen.
Its jiggling and moving across the table makes me doubt my eyes,
But my ears support it as well.

I have, in earlier days, that I should be more embarrassed to speak of,
consumed HUMAN URINE – aged to further imperfection, stinkity and obscene
That had a more pleasant aroma than this dish.
There is no sensible bone in my body that would allow me to partake of this concoction…
Even the dog has fled for fear of scraps.

I could not in good conscience,
Would not in good sense
Consume this inconsumable
Swallow this irresistible force
Engage this immovable object.

I know I should never touch this hideous dish
But for your expectant eyes
Your querulous tone
Asking if I like it.

And for that duty,
between tearful bites, I can only whimper
"Delicious."