Tale of the Mistress and the Onions
She disappoints again
leaving the little onion spears
crying in the grass.
There was to be salad later
in the day, but her lassitude won
and she stays in bed, thinking
of how lazy she is and
how the onions had looked forward
to being part of the lovely dishes
to be served with music and candles.
Many people dressed in finery
would sit at the stately white table,
but she will not be available—
she will still be in bed tending
her delicate persona and missing the dinner.
She feels guilt about the onions
who want nothing but to be dressed
as shallots in this fanciful repast,
but guilt is not enough to get her out
to the garden to weed and loosen soil
and bring the bulbs to their glory.
—Jackie Langetieg, Verona, WI
