No matter the meal...

Ode to Rye Toast

O! sturdy grain,
your flour refined,
delicious plain,
your texture divine.
For you I lust,
crunchy or chewy,
flavorful crust,
rend my eyes dewy.

O! toast, O! bread,
more steadfast than wheat,
what bliss ahead
with you, righteous treat!
As meal or snack,
more noble than white,
no mere Zwieback,
caraway delight.

You bring such glee,
O wholesome crispness,
on land or sea
or even isthmus.
At the deli
I taste, I shudder!
Good with jelly—
better with butter.

by Rob O'Keefe
in volume 4 issue 2

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