al dente

he was heavily annoyed
by my ability to memorize
the page I was on in my
current novel and that the
list on my desk was neat
enough to be a set piece
in a movie women used to
be required to appear less
than the men around them
he always flinched no matter
how lightly my intellect and
artistry tiptoed past him
I think finding and lighting
the furnace pilot light with
a piece of vermicelli caused
him to forever see me as a
threat to his manhood which
made my teeth hurt so I left

Cinse Bonino
2022