Preserves

To all those people who I let walk over me ...

What can I say?

I know where to find them.

Apologies that seem condensed

dried, canned, stuck with bright labels
needing a blade of apathy

to get them open.

Generic. I've used this brand before.

I'm right, you're wrong.

I don't tell you that, because I don't have the choice.

You're right, I'm wrong:

The apologies are laid out in neat rows.

Safe in their tins,

they've passed the time unchanging

and freshly opened

they have yet to spoil.

But as I feed them into my famished mouth

I can already taste the decay.

This is packaged remorse,

processed and salted to keep it edible

until the day it's opened

and we realize that, maybe, when we still had the chance,

we should have gone with the fresh variety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This poem is supposed to be kind of bitter and salty. It's not really supposed to roll off the tongue.

Reviews

[WhiteWillow]

The wording, the flow, are all perfect for the intended tone of the piece. Definitely in-your-face and to-the-point, with a wonderful use of analogies. Nice piece.

[The Purple Kazoo]

great poem. it yanks us harshly back into the reality we tried to escape and shows us exactly what's wrong with it so we can set things right. without, that is, using the same canned apologies. kudos.

[Philosophile. (Maddy)]

This was simply amazing! You made me think of Warhol and soup cans. Oh, I loved this. This is so creative, pre-packaged apologies, I'm at a loss for words!

[Emily Rose]

And bitter and salty it is. You really made me reconsider what an apology really IS at its very core. And you're absolutely right - too many people treat the words "I'm sorry" like they're opening a fresh can of condensed Repentance, hoping that the same old tried-and-true phrases will do the trick this time around. The comparison that you draw is stunning, and appallingly fitting. Thanks for opening my eyes...

[JudyC]

The analogy of food and words really works well here. You vividly describe the way that subtle nuances are lost in preserved food, and preserved apologies. Great!