Pierre, Who Lives Inside A Cliche

When you say, Take it with a grain of salt,
a round little man walks into my mind
wearing chef’s whites and carrying a serving tray.
From a delicate green bowl,
he lifts one single grain of coarse salt
between his finger and thumb.
Pierre—yes, I’ve named him
by now—Pierre steps forward and bows
as he hands me one more grain
to add to the mountains of advice
I’ve already been given.