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by Jennifer Randall Hotz

Mrs. C. will tell you she doesn’t mind
that the children never ask her what
she thinks about anything important

or that her husband, when she cooks
him breakfast, rushes out the door,
claims he only has time for coffee.

How often does she sigh looking out
the kitchen window, hoping for
something she can’t quite put her finger on?

When The Fonz shows up,
striding into every scene
in a leather jacket

sleek as a seal’s head,
she kisses him on the cheek,
calls him by his real name:

Arthur. He takes her hand in his,
looks deeply into her eyes,
sees what’s really there:

her whole life on endless repeat,
standing at the stove in dress, pearls,
apron, lips pursed as she scrapes

the skillet with short, sharp strokes,
trying to make something out of the raw
ingredients she has at hand.

Jennifer Randall Hotz’s work has appeared in Burningword Literary Journal, Naugatuck River Review, Connecticut River Review, Literary Mama, and SLANT, among other publications. She won 1st place in poetry for the Virginia Writers Club 2023 Golden Nib Awards and was nominated for a 2024 Pushcart Prize. Find her at: www.jenniferrandallhotz.com.