SICK LIT MAGAZINE

I am Lasagne

 

I’m Tomato Sauce: passion in all forms. The longer you leave the sauce to simmer, the more the taste will be enhanced. The sauce shouldn’t be too thick, otherwise it will not be absorbed into the pasta sheets. But if it’s too watery, I’ll slip through your fork-fingers, stain your t-shirt.

I’m Chilli Powder: a fiery disposition. It’s not only the stove that’s hot.

I’m Spinach: reduced in size compared to the past, but still full of goodness. The wilted leaves will remind you of burst balloons and discarded prophylactics; our relationship left spent on the kitchen counter.

But I’m not Onion: if you ever listened to me, you’d remember why.

I’m Italian Mixed Herbs: you were always more Vanilla Extract. They should never have been placed on the same shelf, but who were we to heed the advice of others?

I’m Garlic: for that distinct smell. Not good, not bad either, but unmistakable. One day you’ll catch a whiff of it and remember me. One clove is enough for some.

I’m Cheese: bad jokes and poor puns, though my measurement was way off for your palate. I knew of your intolerance, but why should I have to change?

And as for the Meat? – well, you know…

I’m Pasta Sheets: layered, but not too complicated. Brittle, easily broken, until cooked. You can peel them away one by one or sample them all to get the complete effect. First taste is with your eyes, but there was always more to discover.

I’m Hard-boiled Eggs: for new beginnings, what ever else?

I am Lasagne: the tastiest dish on the menu. And now you’ll just have to starve.

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Santino Prinzi is the Flash Fiction Editor of Firefly Magazine, and helps with National Flash Fiction Day in the UK. He was a recipient of the TSS Young Writers Award for January 2016, and was awarded the 2014/15 Bath Spa University Flash Fiction Prize. His debut fiction collection, Dots, and other flashes of perception, will be published by The Nottingham Review Press in September 2016. His flash fiction and prose poetry has been published, or are forthcoming, in various places, as well as being longlisted, shortlisted, or placed in competitions. You can find out more on his website: https://tinoprinzi.wordpress.com