Preheat the oven to three-seventy-five 
and oil the pan. Stretch the pizza dough
with the heft of your hands–
a mandala of sorts. Fill the holes
with dough from the thickest parts–
here, the kitchen smells like yeast–
then dock & prebake for just enough time
to chop half a shallot, to prepare
the sauce and toppings for dispersal. 

In six minutes, spoon the sauce
like your mother taught, spreading
concentric circles from its middle. 
Sprinkle herbs. Toss the cheese.
Top the pizza with the veggies, meat–
however you please–it’ll be just fine
in another fifteen minutes, reliable
when so many other things just

aren’t.