Four Poems
by Amanda Laughtland
No Laughing Matter
After college everybody said she'd marry
in no time, but the whispered story
of her trouble made the rounds
as it always does. It simply
ruined her socially. This is exactly
what halitosis does to many a woman
without her even realizing it.
In New England
Baked beans soak the night over
for Saturday supper and return
at Sunday breakfast, lavished
on fresh bread. Every summer
begins with a pot of clam chowder.
Everyone's lives are the lives
of former first ladies, not crowded
with knick-knacks like ours.
Try Making Peanut Butter at Home
It's not too hard. Roast shelled peanuts.
Slip off skins. Grind peanuts
in your meat grinder until you find
the desired fineness. Add salt.
Add peanut or vegetable oil.
Stir thoroughly, but don't expect
as creamy and smooth a butter
as your grocer sells in jars.
Faux Gazebo
Everyone wants a shady spot
on your new deck, a trick
made possible when friends
hang a trellis in the twenty minutes
it takes for pizza to arrive.
