The prompt for this piece was to anthropomorphize a smell, a taste, or an inanimate object.  This is what “popped” into my head!

Have you noticed the smell of salt and fat casts a spell over theaters?  It hits you as soon as you walk through the arched doorway, filling your sinuses, then your mouth inevitably waters.  It’s impossible to resist.  

Listen:  it’s a plot devised by popcorn to take over the planet one theater, one roller rink, one bowling alley at a time.  

Sure, there’ve been set-backs.  Television, cable, Netflix, streaming services, TikTok—does anyone in America venture into polite society anymore?  It’s been rough on Popcorn.  It’s had to branch out and recruit Donuts and French Fries to its cause.  This alliance has been fruitful, but not without limitations.  Popcorn has made them all agree to avoid Big Meat.

Big Meat is—well—big!  Its stench is everywhere.  The craving for it is primal.  At first blush, you might think Popcorn would want a powerful ally like Meat, but no, Meat could overwhelm corn, potatoes, and flour dough pretty easy.  Plant-based mobsters wouldn’t stand a chance in a turf war, but that’s not why Popcorn prefers to elude it.  Let’s face it:  Big Meat is simple.  Big Meat has no nuance, no finesse, it’s dead between the ears.  That’s why Popcorn has told its allies to steer clear—Big Meat is just flat-out stupid.

They’re a tight bunch, French Fries, Donuts, and Popcorn, but trust me—Popcorn is the brains behind the operation.  Popcorn is small, but it’s sharp as a tack.  The secret is it’s not dangerous if it’s not armed.  Eat it plain, and you’ll have no problem.  What’s that?  I know, it tastes like cardboard without butter, I get it.  Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.  

Chew thoroughly.

Photo by Yulia Khlebnikova on Unsplash