Let me be tight

small

so dispensable

that when my own name is called

let me not be considered.
Let me keep less

so that it is easier to dust

and let my life be plain

patterns proving perennially

difficult to clean.
Let me not be white

so that I can be run

with coloured laundry.

Let me also be wrinkle-free and spared

the irony of the ironing board.
Let me be edible in all seasons

non-allergenic, lean, palatable to all.

Let me contain more dietary fibres

no cholesterol

my broth only mildly sweet.
Let me come

with no warning.

Let me not need refrigeration

or gentle-handling.

Let my packaging be strong.
Above all, let me be well-labelled

and have a short expiry.

Between

manufacture and best-consumed

the period not long.