Before Toasters

the first grilled bread must have been held with fingers

over a fire, which of course would singe a knuckle

causing it to be dropped, then dragged out of the ashes

blown on and eaten cuz nothing was wasted back then

then somebody got the bright idea of using a stick to skewer

the bread and hang it over the flames but when patience

lost vigilance it would blacken into a carbon biscuit which

no one would eat, starving or not

The invention of the 2-slice toaster, surely one of the 100 wonders

of the world, allowed anyone to set a timer and plunge those slices

of wheat into slots of timid looking coils that would turn fiery red

and deliver a perfect pair of toasts, except there is no plural for

grilled bread, it is just toast – 2 slices or a hundred – for you and

the spouse, a couple kids, your mother-in-law who’s very picky

about every little thing that’s brown or an army of hungry recruits.

with the real question being what do you like on your toast?

That will reveal a lot about you. Dry and you’re strict, living

your life like bootcamp in the military Just butter and you’re

a balanced person, a good heart with the occasional slip.

If piled with strawberry jam let’s face it – you have a lust for life

and grab everything for all it’s worth. You are that wonderful mess

people love to be around. And even burned toast or a singed

hand will never keep you from licking every last digit