“one for the big wass” by Tohm Bakelas

every morning for breakfast,
jeff takes 8 chicken nuggets
out of the freezer,
places them in the toaster oven
turns the dial to 425°
and bakes them for ten minutes
 
jeff eats 5 off a paper plate
and places the remaining 3
on a piece of wheat bread
 
jeff doesn’t believe in a better world,
and like everybody else
he’s just trying to get by

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 12 chapbooks. He runs Between Shadows Press.