Rob S. Friedman
December 2023
Whence the Schadenfreude of Toast?
A two-slot toaster in front of three kids, I was happy to watch my sisters reach deep into the loaf, knowing the heel would be far more satisfying.
Such joy anticipating the coils’ first glow, with A pushing the knob to DARK and B’s fingertip over the CANCEL button, a daily standoff yielding nothing good.
Then the heel, deep in the heat of the second plunge, as radiant as an otter cub as the morning sun warms its small, soft belly while it bobs in the rippling wake of a canoe.
And as I watch their chosen slices crack and crumble to touch and teeth, the lowly heel becomes my tangible predicate to joy in the fractured frowns of A and B.
Rob S. Friedman 