War Cake

by Charlotte M. Porter

War Blog

Hold up a finger & have a listen to wrath-whisperer Isaiah, 8th-century
B.C. cornerstone of the Book of Mormon, the prophet who broadcast the
perils of war in his son’s names, Remnant Shall Return (blow-back) & the
younger Quickly to Spoils (swift sunder).

Often portrayed robed in pink w/ a red cape, Isaiah foretold
a Peaceable Kingdom where the Lion lies down with the Lamb,
but we know both will be shot before ceasefire ends strife.

A warlord ordered Isaiah sawn in two.
End of story. Amen.

War Dogs

I’m back.
This isn’t what you want to hear.
Call me what you will:
Conscience
Cancer
Curse 
Cur

I come.
This isn’t what you want:
War
Torture
Famine
Fear
I’m here.
This isn’t what…
So what!
I settle in & become you.
A call for peace
isn’t what you wish to hear.
Dogs eat our dead.
This isn’t what you wish.
We drink foul water filtered through rags
& bathe in black blood of the slain.

This is why
we build pyres, light bonfires of chairs,
& circle blown tires for seats.
This is:
We roast dogs for meat.
We become cannibals.

War Cake

Enduring bloodshed, recipes, women’s spoils,

make do w/ shortages, rations & absence

of manna, milk & honey, miracle loaves—

foody promises made real in War Cake,

a city confection for cooks w/out chickens,

an eggless feat, almost fat-free w/ raisins,

minus milk, to fete a special occasion 

as soldiers die on someone else’s T.V.

Mix, though today few use cloves from Maluku 

or harvest American black walnuts. Ready?

In the kitchen, you know next what to do.

Set oven. Boil half; fold in the rest. Bake.

After 30 minutes, test w/ a broom straw,

not a plastic bristle. Remember corn brooms? 

A witch’s go-to on nights of broken glass 

(but that’s another poem about blowback).

To respect war sacrifice, omit icing.

Let cool. Cut w/ care. Think on Isaiah.

In a pinch, the dense brick can serve

as the doorstop or as a handheld weapon

(swift sunder).

Charlotte M. Porter lives and writes in an old citrus hamlet in Florida, U.S.A. Look for her poetry in Bacopa, Burningword, Confrontation, Gleam, SLAB, and Aayo. Her short story collections are available on Amazon.

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