Our Sunday Tradition - Sept. 13, 2023

mom leans over the electric grill dialed to 5

where eight sandwiches fit perfectly

(just like the six of us at our Formica table)

with four extra halves for the fastest and hungriest

she tells me to wait as I watch they’re down when

the cheese leaves the sandwich and bubbles in the skillet

the tomato broth starts to simmer

always condensed Campbell’s - 3 cans

made only with water never milk

she explains stir in the liquid a little bit

at a time no one wants lumps in their soup

I remember taking two spoonfuls

for each bite the goal to finish

exactly at the same time

that last scoop of soup and crunch

of chewy cheese I’d savor in a slow

swallow a last weekend pleasure

for it seemed Monday’s always loomed

with a certain sadness

mixed with madness