Paperplates Poem by Pam Ward

the good ol' days then
were late nights in the kitchen
canned beans and weenies
and fries cooked in fat
war food that talked back
and thrashed in hot grease
and popped if you got up too close
but we loved it
loved standing there
right next to Mom
near the comforting warmth
of her house dress
we stood watching hotdogs
exploding like welts do
gruesome skin oozing with juice
near the flame
near her elbow
we stood there
in peace
and the quiet
of Daddy's not home yet.