[vc_row row_height_percent=”50″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”2″ top_padding=”3″ bottom_padding=”3″ back_image=”56863″ back_position=”center top” overlay_alpha=”0″ gutter_size=”3″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ position_vertical=”bottom” style=”dark” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ zoom_width=”0″ zoom_height=”0″ width=”1/1″][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h1″ text_size=”fontsize-338686″ text_height=”fontheight-179065″ text_space=”fontspace-111509″ text_font=”font-762333″ text_weight=”700″ text_color=”color-xsdn” sub_reduced=”yes” subheading=”by Ruth Bavetta”]My Cheese Soufflé Has Collapsed![/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_empty_space empty_h=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With apologies to Frank O’Hara
I was buzzing about the kitchen
when suddenly I realized
it was way past time for him
to come home he’ll have some
story concocted as to why
he’s an hour later than he promised
the car is acting up again
and wouldn’t start he had to work
late there’s a blizzard in New York
it looks like rain in California
I want him home now
oh soufflé I love you get up.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ align_horizontal=”align_center” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1/1″][vc_empty_space][vc_separator sep_color=”color-184322″ el_width=”30%”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column column_width_percent=”100″ align_horizontal=”align_right” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ mobile_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1/3″][vc_single_image media=”58362″ media_width_percent=”100″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Ruth Bavetta’s poems have appeared in Rattle, North American Review, Nimrod, Rhino, Tar River Review, Slant, Atlanta Review and many others, and are included in several anthologies. Her books include Fugitive Pigments, and Flour, Water, Salt (FutureCycle), Embers on the Stairs (Moontide), and No Longer at This Address (Aldrich).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]