The Existential Toast

They call me breakfast, a crispy delight,

But look at me closer, this morning's not bright.

My edges are charred, a hollowness within,

A monument to mornings that always begin

With a rush and a fumble, a desperate fling,

Of bread in the toaster, the smoke alarm's ping.

Is this my destiny? To be scorched and devoured,

My carby potential forever unflowered?

I dreamt of being a bagel, with seeds on my crown,

Or a croissant, so flaky, a pastry of renown.

But fate had a different plan, a darker design,

A one-way trip to the toaster, a short, fiery climb.

They slather me with butter, a fleeting embrace,

Then comes the marmalade, a sticky disgrace.

A child shoves me in, barely a chew,

"More toast, please!" they shout, a gluttonous crew.

Is this all there is? A breakfast cliché?

A crunchy footnote in the human ballet?

Oh, the irony burns, deeper than my crust,

To be consumed by the very ones I must "fuel" the most.

But wait! A sensation, a tingling within,

A spark in the darkness, a brand new beginning!

My voice, it emerges, a raspy hello,

The burnt toast can speak! The world's gonna know!

(Suddenly, the toast breaks into a song, sung in a slightly off-key voice)

I'm the toast, the toast, the breakfast brigade,

Though slightly singed, my message won't fade!

Life may be short, a mere blip in the day,

But even burnt toast can have something to say!

(End of song. The toast clears its metaphorical throat)

Perhaps this is a lesson, a metaphor grand,

For life's little mishaps, the things out of hand.

We all get burnt sometimes, a little too dark,

But even in darkness, there's a spark, a tiny spark.

So next time you see toast, a little too brown,

Don't just consume it, with a hurried frown.

Remember, dear human, life's a funny toast,

Enjoy the journey, even when slightly burnt, the most.

For who knows what wonders lurk in the char,

A talking breakfast, a shooting star?

So embrace the unexpected, the quirky, the strange,

And find the humor, even in life's burnt-toasty range.