Poem of the Day: “potato chip bag” by Lauren McBride

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “potato chip bag” by Lauren McBride.  Mrs. McBride finds inspiration in faith, nature, molecular biology (she is a former researcher) and membership in the Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA), where she was twice nominated for the 2014 Dwarf Stars Award.  Her work has appeared in various speculative, nature, and children's publications including: Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine, Dreams and Nightmares, Tales of the Talisman, and The Magazine of Speculative Poetry. She shares a love of laughter, science, and the ocean with her husband and two children.

potato chip bag
expiration date
unnecessary

Lauren McBride

Poet’s Notes:  I wrote this poem while experimenting with a poetry form new to me, the hay(na)ku: six words, three lines with 1-2-3 or 3-2-1 words per line. I have an article coming out in the May 2015 Scifaikuest about hay(na)ku/sci(na)ku.

The topic is just for fun. I had come up with "potato chip bag" and "expiration date," then tried to think what one word summarizes the wasted effort of putting an expiration date on a chip bag, at least in my house.

Editor’s Note:  This hay(na)ku is nicely executed and oh so true.  I laughed out loud!  This clever little poem just missed the cut for the finals in the recent Songs of Eretz Poetry Award contest, so I am especially pleased to have the honor of publishing it in the Review.  My thanks to Mrs. McBride for introducing me to this new form, and my congratulations to her on her coming spot in Scifaikuest.

On a side note, I spent too much time searching for the perfect graphic to accompany this piece, examining photo after photo of delicious chippies, and now I want potato chips but don't have any in the house.  Grr!  Argh!