Push That Clear Button

 

Photograph: Sharron R. McMillan

Turkey is stuffed, ready for the oven.
Beep, beep, mom presses buttons on her new computerized stove.
Letters blink across the panel but no temperature.
Cold oven, buttons don’t seem to work.

Family arrives one by one,
each has a go at pressing button after button.
Beep, beep, beep, F 2, Pr E.
No one can make sense of it.

Panic sets in.
How will we cook dinner.
Five of us stare at the beautiful modern thing
with the cold roasting pan holding our dinner.

Clear, there’s a clear button here.
Did anyone push the clear button?
Beep. Panel lights up, temp 400 degrees.
Cheers and laughter as oven element glows.

Sometimes we have to press the clear button,
reset away that which was preset within us,
so we can move forward
toward that which will be.

©Sharron R. McMillan