In the earliest days, a woman seeking marriage ate three cucumber slices. She covered her eyes with the remainder. Some stirring of a feeling told her to purchase bra and panty sets. With time, she grew ruddier and ate whole vegetables. Protective peel and all. The seeds of her beauty and tenderness.
A man seeking a wife looked in Rubbermaid containers. He saw potential in resealable lids. The click and seal. Tenderness in microwavable plastic. Although love was polymers away—the melding of substances developed with time. Leftover pizza casserole (circa 1989). Pre-sliced carrot coins. Her beauty, some stirring in the oven’s carousel.
Emilie Lindemann's chapbook, Dear Minimum Wage Employee: You Are Priceless, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press. A Ph.D. candidate in UWM's Creative Writing program, Emilie lives in Manitowoc County and teaches at Silver Lake College.
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