Summary

This one-page, free verse poem describes the narrator's experience when she thinks about using a can of tomato puree. The puree is not expired yet, but the packaging is described as looking like it is old and forgotten about. The narrator exclaims that she wants to fix the dulled packaging and bring the puree back to its original splendor.

Analysis

The tomato puree in this chapter represents damaged or hurting people the narrator desires to nurse back to health and success. The majority of the narrator’s actions in the collection have centered on her in a rather selfish manner. She throws a party in “Finishing Touch” but is preoccupied with where she wants everyone to sit in order to make her happy. She has not displayed a lot of heroic behavior, but this chapter indicates the narrator’s desire to do...