the contagious word salad

it seems

to be contagious now

as the candidate

goes on and on with each

new friendly

interview.

it's leaked into my own

household.

i ask

my wife why she went

to Williams and Sonoma

and spent

a thousand dollars on

new pots and pans,

and silverware.

and a new coffee maker.

i was raised a middle

class girl,

she tells me.

but, i say.

no, please i'm talking here.

she puts her hand

into my face

and continues.

my mother had to work

to make

money, we didn't have

the government

to rely on like we do now.

we lived in a neighborhood

where

people loved

their lawns.

we didn't have everything

we wanted,

but we had joy.

excuse me, i tell her,

my question was why

did you

spend a thousand dollars

on things

we already have?

i just told you why, she responds.

we weren't poor,

but we weren't rich

either.

we were a middle class

family.

and by the way, have you

noticed

how long the grass is outside?