OMELET

Thirty years ago, I read poems 
at their wedding. Twenty years ago,
we camped on the shores 
of Bull Shoals. Ten years ago,
we met up for brunch in Kansas City.

At the restaurant, she kneed him
when he teased her just the right amount
about her slather of apricot jam. 
He kissed her on the mouth 
when she retold how they met. 

It felt like those college days again
when we skipped classes and carried 
few regrets, but a year later, their marriage
got whisked all wrong, like the overcooked omelet
she was served—a hidden brown underside
and an oozing runny top.

Dave Malone holds degrees from Ottawa University and Indiana State. He is a poet and filmmaker who lives in the Missouri Ozarks, and his most recent poetry book is Bypass (Aldrich Press, 2023). He can be found online at davemalone.net or on Instagram @dave.malone.