Regardless of the insignificance
her voice even shudders at the loss,--
though she makes light of it,
the smell of burnt food curls in the air
and will take hours to dissipate.

Men are better cooks, she says.
Studies show they concentrate on one thing:
they won't clean while they cook.
But then, they cannot grasp efficiency.

Her breakfast is ready by mid-afternoon--
and perhaps I could have made it better.
I've made the perfect dish already
and am still lamenting its disappearance.

Sometimes the difference between men and women
by the time we sit down to feast,
we are still lingering over accomplishment
and they've moved on to entertain the next meal.

We are, though we cannot understand it,
endlessly hungry
while they are preparing the dish.