Toast

I am like the bagel
left in the flaming toaster oven
set to broil

when you meant it lightly browned.
You are tasked with scrapping all my 
blackened inedible layers into 
the trash.

I love you for this. 

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Julia Ponder is a teacher, writer, and poet living in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Her poetry and creative non-fiction have been published in print and online publications, including the Chronogram, 805Lit, The Shawangunk Review, THAT Magazine, Poet’s Choice, the Dillydoun Review, Hudson Valley Writer’s Guild, The Sonder Review, and oxford public philosophy. Her debut poetry collection, Quantum Ghosts, is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press.