Bleach In The Gravy  

The roadside guru said life is a meal,

a banquet in a take-out box meant for on the go,

a portable super-sized snack too big to finish,

best enjoyed fresh with all your senses, 

feel how good it is going down.

You have to be willing to get dirty,

warm grease and hot sauce on hands and face,

savor or gulp, it don’t matter, it’s all good.

Sure, there’s gonna be some bones

and raspberry seeds in the wisdom teeth,

you might even get scalded when you’re in the soup

and some things mixed together just won’t sit right,

But who thinks of that when they get icing on the cake?

Who’s gonna complain about that when the caviar arrives?

There’s only one problem that’ll turn your stomach good,

that’s when one dish becomes your gotta-have favorite,

something you absolutely need or why eat at all,

the prime delight that gives meaning to the whole shabang.

If you find you just have to have your favorite, say it’s gravy,

or you’d rather not eat at all, it just wouldn’t be special,

then you’re gonna starve when one day you find

somebody put bleach in that gravy.

It’s still gravy of course, but it’s not the same,

and just forgetting about the bleach, putting it out of your mind,

won’t take it out of the gravy, you’ll smell it a mile away.

Some things leave a bad taste in one’s mouth, the guru confessed,

some things aren’t even edible and yet they fall on our plate,

but sooner of later you’re gonna have to decide,

what are you here for – gravy or a meal?