how to make a ham sandwich

it's an art of some sort.

the making

of the ham

sandwich.

i spent hours and hours

teaching

my son how to make one

when he was five

and his mother

was out shopping at Norstrom's

for their bi-annual shoe

sale.

i explained to him

how to set all the necessary

ingredients out

on the counter.

the cutting board,

the plate, the sharp knife.

i'd tell him

to close his eyes and visualize

what the sandwich

would look like.

tomatoes and onions

sliced.

the toasted bread, 

preferably a seeded rye,

and the condiment

of choice

that he liked.

i showed him how to fold

the ham and place it on

the bread gently, followed

by cheese, provolone or Swiss

would be nice, then

the lettuce, etc.

finally, but importantly,

i demonstrated how to press

it all down, but

not too hard so that you break

the top piece of bread,

and then the all important

sandwich slice,

not diagonal, of course,

don't be a fool, but straight

across, to make

it easier to bite.

dill pickle on the side.