Cellophane

For Icky

is a clear plastic sheeting
used most often as a wrap
for foods (fruits and vegetables,
casseroles, slices of pizza,
other things that might go
stale or be subject to contamination
by dust or other airborne
pathogens)
in order to keep them fresh
in the refrigerator.

comes in a box about
a foot wide and two inches
square, wrapped around
a cardboard cylinder
an inch and a quarter
in diameter. On the edge
of the lid of the box
is a serrated metal strip
against which you can pull
what you have taken from
the roll in order to tear it
in sort of a straight line.

presents itself, as many
transparently mundane
objects do, with a multi-
tude of metaphorical
possibilities, most of which
hermetically sealed
shall remain obscure.