They barely ate their broccoli
and hardly touched their spinach.
Their vegetables — deemed inedible —
were never, ever finished.

I yelled. I sighed. I bribed. I lied.
I begged upon my knees.
And then, the answer dawned on me.
A voice inside cried, “Cheese!”

Of course! That family-friendly food
of magic, molten gold
can sway the most demanding brood,
even fussy four-year-olds.

Swiss or cheddar makes it better,
and there’s nothing like Velveeta
to turn a diehard veggie-phobe
into a veggie eater.

So grate those greens, go slice ‘em, dice ‘em;
Cook them as you please —
Just make them ooey, oh-so gooey,
smothered all in cheese.

©2010 Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz