No Morning Selection

Twenty-eight point five pounds of sulk concentrate.

Bum in seat under protest

sucks 9.23% of breathable kitchen air

into a void of deep space still under construction

7:23 in the morning

Impromptu hunger strike

with the car in for repair and military-grade schedules to compensate

on the cusp of my thirty-first visual arts acquisitions review.

Of course on a Wednesday.

Pudgy cheeks of inconvenience

being inconvenienced so inconveniencing.

A heard huff here

and there

while I pack lunch and listen for the taxi.

He slouches

squirms

fingerplays ffthbt-fftbbbt raspberries on scrumptious lips.

Turns to me.

Gives warmest

full-effect guerrilla-tactic ebony eyes to melt Alaskan icebergs.

Counterinsurgency is easier in summer.

I pour hot water in a thermos.

Not much ice left here sweet stuff.

He whines and wilts.

Drapes body over left side of high chair.

A light skrrt—skrrr-rrttt of plastic resists and yields.

Attention to plight sought.

Deferred.

Has no clue what that means.

I know what’s next.

Master’s degree manipulation after twenty-two months on planet.

Sure could use some of that in corporate

and leapfrog to senior partner.

The most concentrated qualities when nary a clue of command.

Nature’s a comedian.

Shkrr-kee-shkrr-kee-shkrr-kee

A transformed Houdini

alpha tests novel escape methods.

A three-foot slinky.

Never been so grateful

for 21st-century calculus complex safety straps.

Soft coiled dredlocs cling a crown in slow-rise humid air.

Silent seething.

Repositions to reengage.

Breakfast battle mid-point

with no desire whatsoever for reinforcements negotiation or truce.

Spoon projectile in 3…2… … plink-kkah.

Mission failure to find flakes succeed over circles.

Can’t remember yesterday’s tipped cereal box fiasco

correlation with today’s meh menu option.

Can’t reconcile.

Can’t requisition what we don’t have.

Can’t cope without Cheerios.

And I can’t shop ‘til tomorrow

but can totally relate to frisbees over flakes.

Halos hoops and hallelujah moments

versus

a bland cereal grain invented for patients at Battle Creek Sanitorium.

But the fortification needed to get through circle time

learning centers plus arts and crafts where Kylie hogs the crayons though?

Big feels little man.

Good starts necessitate spherical saviors.

Life preservers buoyant against crisis

chaos

cuz who needs flaky beginnings.

You recognize rhetorical questions.

I wave a white flag I had no intention to raise

make a few calls

and dorky pancakes with holes in the center.

Unhinged relief giggle time.

I sit down with him and fortify.

Debate emergency car seat Cheerio reconnaissance and future stockpile options

until

we both feel resurrected enough to save ourselves

just for today.

I really appreciate that you read my poem! If you'd like to see more of my work, please check here.

If you enjoyed this or any of my other stories, feel free to like, subscribe, tip, pledge, and/or share with friends and social media sites. If you wish to promote in other forums, you can secure permission @thedaniwriter