Beth Paulson, "Les Carrottes Sont Cuites" (poem)

BETH PAULSON | LES CAROTTES SONT CUITES

It was what she called her special dish she’d made for family dinners and for friends.

Buy fresh ones, not too thick or thin she said peel and leave whole, then simmer in a pan.

A pinch or two of sugar sweetens them. Everyone is eating more a la maison

keeping off the streets and out of stores making meals of what’s in fridge or cupboard.

The carrots are cooked for tout le monde this year humble veg that springs from humble roots.

A virulent virus rules—can’t change our situation so phone up good friends, light a few candles

pour wine, listen to Piaf, dine on good bread and these young carottes.

Note: The French idiom, “Les carottes sont cuites,” means “you can’t change the situation.”