Cucumbers

Hey God.

Thanks for Tomatoes 
red as the engine of life.
See, dicing them dulls the labored days,
bringing me as close to meditation as I’ve ever been.

And thanks for the Onions.
Each loose chop of nirvana makes me shed a salty tear.
Either they fall in awe of your glory,
or it’s the syn-Propanethial S-oxide.

O’ Lord, and the Peppers!
Thanks for all of them.
Greens, yellows, oranges, and reds.
Each julienne slice is enlightenment.

Dear God,
I’ve never been one for confession or gratitude.
But I’m sorry,
you hit the jackpot with Cucumbers.

Before and After

There’s an eloquence to the morning.
A serenity that exists in the spaces before the world wakes for work.
Before the songstress Sun strums the hum of life to life.

Before the dog barks at the wayward squirrel, rousing the children from their saccharine dreams.\
Before the inspired echoes of coffee urn drips.
Before the troubled traffic radio reports.
Before the box scores, the weather forecasts, and the juicy adrenaline of celebrity gossip. 
Before the banknote swindlers open their serpentine eyes in search of a new sucker.
Before the thieves of justice set out on their odyssey of ruin.
Before the deposed rebellions of exiled mutineers are thrust into muddy oblivion.
Before is an Eden of sequestered peace.

If only we could remain under the inky cloak of 
Before-
sheltered beneath the veil of darkness, 
swaddled snugly in the temporary repose that shields us from the turbulence of 
After.

Jeremy Stelzner’s stories have appeared in literary magazines, journals, and anthologies, including the 2024 Coolest American Stories, the McNeese Review, and Prime Number Magazine, where he was awarded runner-up for the 2024 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction. His poetry is forthcoming in North Dakota Quarterly and Flora Fiction. He teaches journalism and literature. You can find more of his work at www.jastelzner.com.

Featured image taken by Lexi Topham Russell, on 35 mm film. Used with the photographer’s written permission.