Please cite all poem references: “Excerpt from ‘Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain’ by Barbara Vance.” Thank you!
Pantry Party
In the dark of the night
After you’ve gone to sleep,
Out of the cupboard
The cookies will creep.
They’ll sound the alarm
To come one and all—
The time has arrived
For their midnight ball!
Then all through the kitchen
The foods come alive—
The apples and peanuts
And cupcakes (all five).
Potatoes roll over
And open their eyes;
They call to their tots
And the wavy French fries.
The chilies all salsa;
The corn lends an ear
To the veal who is singing
Of the one he holds dear.
The rolls are all rising
To see what they can
Of all the commotion
From their warm little pan.
Ricotta and cheddar
All smile and say CHEESE!
While the milk takes their picture
With their good friends, the peas.
The hominy hang out
With tortilla folks,
Who all are amazed
By their strange, corny jokes.
Then the veggies compete
In a race for the cup
And as beans take the lead,
The tomatoes catch up.
But, all of a sudden,
They notice the sun,
And each must return
To where he came from.
They tiptoe to freezers
And silently climb
Back into their places
At just the right time.
Then all through the day
They patiently wait
For their party to start
When it’s once again late.
~ Barbara Vance
Excerpt from the poetry collection “Suzie Bitner Was Afraid of the Drain”
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