Kat's Poetry Pile

meal, ready-to-eat

buying surplus
collecting surplus
seeking surplus
owning surplus
now eating surplus

a brown plastic bag
packed with an entree,
carbohydrate, appetizer,
snack or dessert, drink,
accessory packet, brown spoon

portable joy
and a heavy meal at that
something that has distracted
me for the last two months
and indadvertently

become my sustenance
where i chow down
on food so processed
that it lasts years
with no expiry

it comes with a chemical heater
i eat them in the dark and cold nights in the science building between work
and on my couch
with my friends as well

it's probably better
than instant ramen
and for the cost, it has
even my lazy-meals beat
40 bucks a case of 12

a miracle of chemistry
cuisine and logistics
portable American supremacy
dominion over the world
and over my stomach

food so cheap and
better tasting than the
slop served in my school
cafeteria; it's no home-cooked
meal, but cooking takes time

and this is a meal, ready-to-eat.