Keri Marinda Smith: The New National Dish

Photo: Joanna C. Valente

POETRY BECAME THE NEW NATIONAL DISH

people at first began hoarding poetry
stacking rolls and rolls of it in their garages
then it came down to making poetry out of everyday objects
and sharing poetry with neighbors, the elderly, the sick
people finally started paying good money for poetry
they needed poetry so much
and it finally became so popular
that poetry became the new national dish
and poetry is the national anthem
to be sung at baseball games
because surely there will be baseball games
and summertime, just as surely
there will now always be poetry

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Keri Marinda Smith grew up in Florida but came to NYC to get her MFA in poetry at the New School. She works as the Assistant Editor at Hanging Loose Press and until recently, in bars in Brooklyn. She is currently isolated from COVID-19 in her small apartment with her husband and chihuahua. She will surely write more poems. Find her on IG @springbreakisover