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   Things never end up turning out the way I plan them. I was shooting for a deep poem again, and I ended up with another light, funny, Seuss-y poem. I took a risk this week (writing a poem each week and workshopping really feels like X-Factor live shows) and experimented with the form--big and small font size, broken lines. I was nervous, but my teacher and classmates were all very receptive to the style!

For Goodness' Sake

“Mix all dry ingredients into a bowl

And separately whisk a large hen's egg with oil

Then blend both together, pour in a dish,

And pop in the oven for thirty-five-ish”

I thought “what's the point of a cake that's so easy?”

I whipped up a filling to make it more creamy,

Quadrupled the recipe. Bigger is better!

I poured it in twelve 9-inch pans                  

                                          to

                                                  make

                                                                   layers.

It turned out my oven could hold only half

and that filling brought sweet-kamikaze-toothed gnats,

And while I saran-wrapped the six other pans

And picked out the sugar-crazed-desperate clan

The cakes in the oven got blacker than brown,

The smoke alarm’s ringing still makes my head pound!

The next batch was better except it was flat

Thanks to me closing the doorwaytoofast.

A three-layered cake may sound glorious to you

(I dropped                                                              

            three and six I scraped out with a spoon)

Yes, it was chocolate and six inches deep

But when it had cooled and was ready to eat

I sliced with a knife but a saw would have helped,

it was stale and tasted like sugary felt

I thought “what's the point of a three-layered cake

if it doesn't taste good? For goodness' sake!”