Ode to the Salad Spinner

for Diane Here is the center of the circle And here we are, traveling away From the center. If God is real Then God created this whirlpool Force. O, my love, we spin Away from each other When we leave home for work Then we spin back to our table At the end of the shift. My love, My spouse, you are my center, And here we are at dinner With the lettuce and tomato. How ordinary! But I praise And praise these ordinary days. This knife, this cup, this salad! Hahahahahahahahahhahahaha! It’s just salad. How simple. But I give the most praise To these simple days When we tell the stories About this or that. It’s not the words that matter. It’s the listening. Talk to me, my love, Remind me again and again That everything we are now Began at that moment When we were strangers Greeting each other For the first time. “Hello,” you said. “Hello,” I said. We didn’t know the force Of our impending devotion Would push us against the tender Walls of the universe Then pull us back to the center. My love, we have shared Thousands of meals And we’ll share thousands more. So I give thanks for the tomato, Onion, carrot, radish, pine nut, Oil, vinegar, and lettuce leaf. I give thanks for our creation. I give thanks for everything That’s bright, centrifugal, and green. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shermanalexie.substack.com/subscribe