{ an ode to the way you looked at me when I told you what happened } – Ali MacLeod

January 1, 2026

Call me old-fashioned,
I just don’t think
that gas station corndogs
should glow neon like that.

—

{ a lullaby for the toaster oven }

holes in bread
whole grain bread
wish for holes
in me instead

wish to fill them
with rye grain
wish to feel
like me again

—

{ homily }

broken,
in the way the lightswitch in the kitchen is,
in that now you must jiggle it once
and twice bang the wallplate
before it agrees to turn on