Rita Rouvalis Chapman 

Ode to McDonalds 

What has the world come to
when I cannot get a Shamrock Shake
during the first week of March.
There are certain things I depend on. 

Some of us serve up more Happy Meals
than Sunday roasts, and yet the family
photo albums lack any evidence of these beautiful
traditional moments in the drive-thru line. 

Yes, the buns  are so tasteless
you know they are only an edible napkin
keeping the onion bits from sticking
to your fingers. 

But the fries are a marvel,
crisping to the touch of teeth and
melting into starch silk on the tongue,
the salt biting the soft parts of the mouth.