Open Letter to the Prime Minister on the Consumption of My Vegetables by Kevin Sexton

I will not eat my broccoli
Mr. Harper.
I see it on my plate, green
between the leftover mush
of the white potatoes
and the orange carrots.
But I refuse.
Refuse to eat.

I can sit here all day
Mr. Harper,
till the broccoli cools
and the white and orange
mush hardens.
I can listen to traffic.
I can rub my foot
against the tile floor,
and count every little bump.
But I refuse.
Refuse to eat.

I will wash the dishes
Mr. Harper.
I will go to bed hungry.
I will wake up
tomorrow morning
ready to face my broccoli again,
to sit at the breakfast table, to stare,
And to refuse.
Refuse to eat.

Author bio:

Kevin Sexton was born and raised in Montreal, where he studied English and creative writing at Concordia University. After working as an ice cream biker, music director of a Jewish summer camp and a carny, he moved to Seoul, South Korea, to teach kindergarten. He now works as an English teacher in Berlin. He has had poetry and fiction published in Creations Magazine, Soliloquies, Terracotta Typewriter, Café Irreal and the anthology “Crystal Balls and Birth Canals” by WithWords Press.