Soup and a sandwich

Having a soup
and a sandwich is never
a solitary affair
what with MS Glutamate
and CA Propionate watching
over the feast

but there were always others
with less auspicious sounding names
whose manners were nevertheless livelier
and more forthcoming
there was always salt and pepper
in packets that split
along invisible perforations
to give a kick
and a bite
to soup otherwise unremarkable

and there were crackers
to dip
it always seemed a shame
to crush
and soak
what was made crisp
and perfectly formed
rather petite
than tiny
and noth the real thing
if not with salted tops

and there was the cut of the bread
Mother Tucker
gave you the choice
of thick or thin
even before the pizza makers caught on

and if you were
in Poland
maybe the rye
would have had pumpkin seeds
but we were far away from there
where we were
the issue was alfalfa sprouts
and Dijon mustard
for a change
and we pushed healthy
with lettuce and tomatoes
and the obligatory pickle

but it's what we know
after all
taste and flavour were
not tepid
so much as tentative
and every once in a while
when an ethnic flourish passed
our palettes
and gave us pause
to consider
the addition
of nut
or perhaps a bit of vinegar
where mayonnaise might have covered
all that was great
or good

I'm pretty sure
we made friends
in spite
of the surroundings
or the lack
of fire
or big talk

and so we settled
into the lies
of which we're made
or at least
that keep us sane
as we take
on another challenge
on another otherwise boring day.