Swallowing

Swallowing
Brooke M. Campbell

Babette hates peanut butter--
the glistening sheen so easily marred
by a grubby baby index finger,
olfactory tripwire for grunting elephants
taking treats through twisted lips,
dusty corner stores run by age-blind retirees,
and Wonderbread-wielding daycare kitchens
fresh out of Velveeta
she hates the way peanut butter
has taken over her life,
as it might take over her mouth,
should ever she seize the spatula
from the hand of her young son
and slather her tongue with a giant dollop--
swallowing, swallowing, swallowing,
till her throat clogs