Kitchen Cupboard

Their store-brand names mostly obscure,

no darlings here of media advertising,

my kitchen cupboard's contents sit mute

in the dark behind their closed door,

pregnant with stories unremarked.

Here in serried ranks of cans the large

yellow jacketed pineapple chunks

discreetly touching sides with the smaller

sale-priced cans of red with ruby undertones

whole-berry cranberries.

Natural chunky peanut butter in plastic jars

sits near small tins of herring in olive oil.

Their plant and animal proteins yet sensing,

on this dry shelf, shared chemical affinities

that no processing or packaging can hide.

Canned Alaskan pink salmon, julienne cut

sun-dried tomatoes, fire-roasted salsa, tomato

pesto with pine nut,  dark chocolate with almonds

all derived from sunshine, and now packaged, stored and

quietly awaiting processing to their next transformation