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Suffering and the End of Suffering
Spring 2001   Vol. 17 #2
Spring 2001   Vol. 17 #2

Poems/Not Poems

Recipe for Unhappiness

By Fred Moramarco

 
 

 

1 cup          What is
1 cup          Inability to accept what is
3 Tbs.         Complaints
1 tsp.          Light whining
1/4 lb.         Alternate scenario (preferably unobtainable)
1 bunch      Actual reality
1-pint          Idealized worldview
2 tsp.          Perfection
4 sprigs      Envy (minced) for garnish

 

In a large bowl, whisk together what is with an equal amount of an inability to accept it. Stir in complaints and let sit until brooding and sulking set in. Add a dash of light whining, especially in the company of friends, but be careful not to over season, or they won’t hang around. In a separate bowl, add alternate scenario to actual reality from your garden and separate the leaves from the stems. Then try to reattach leaves in exact pattern that existed before separation. Pour in idealized worldview and process in food processor using on and off turns. When mixture is puréed, add to what is, and inability to accept what is i blend. Add exactly two teaspoons of perfection and let stand until tears form. Garnish with minced envy and serve immediately.

 

∞

 

From the Spring 2001 issue of Inquiring Mind (Vol. 17, No. 2)
Text © Fred Moramarco

Author

Fred Moramarco (1938–2012) coauthored Containing Multitudes: Poetry in the United States Since 1950 (Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1998) and coedited of Men of Our Time: Male Poetry in Contemporary America (University of Georgia Press,1992). He was a professor in the Department of English and Comparitive Literature at San Diego State University.

Author

Fred Moramarco (1938–2012) coauthored Containing Multitudes: Poetry in the United States Since 1950 (Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1998) and coedited of Men of Our Time: Male Poetry in Contemporary America (University of Georgia Press,1992). He was a professor in the Department of English and Comparitive Literature at San Diego State University.

 
 
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