Arthur Godfrey, halfway through his radio show,

tossed aside the script, joked his sponsor’s soup

tasted like hot water strained through chicken feathers

Lost his sponsor, almost lost his job,

but kept his listeners laughing

As for that salty soup, it never fails to soothe a virus,

heals faster than most homemade broths I’ve sampled,

fills a house in a few minutes with comforting aromas,

more toothsome any day than the brine of a tough old hen

simmered for hours in a heavy steel pot

 

To all grandmothers and gourmets who sniff

at something new, something powdered,

something packaged,

something brewed in five minutes,

I say, good for the inventor of instant soup

To those who sell that soup,

I say, good for Arthur Godfrey

 

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