Asparapocalypse

Abstract

The poem imagines a cliché conflict between a parent and a child over eating asparagus. It capitalizes on the idea of telling a kid they can't leave the table until they try a bite of yucky food. It takes a twee turn toward the genre of horror by making allusions to the catacombs beneath Egyptian pyramids. The poem attempts to be either a vague monster movie shadow, or a Sesame Street style joke. As parents, we've all tried to walk an edgy-cute line, making allusions but staying creatively fun, even while exasperated.