Isosceles. Is a poem comprised of 2 equal sides?

If a poem were a geometric form, would it most likely be a triangle and an isosceles one at that? By the way, what are the 2 sides of poem? Perhaps, title & text. Or words and silence? Of course,
no doubt there are poems on the subject of being isosceles. That, for another month.


Moving on to the meal, food and dish (as in plating) equal pleasure. You're welcomed to think of this as title & text. Or crunch & silence.

Roasted. How does roasted poetry taste?

Well if by roasted you mean celebrated, then it's sweet to the ears. If you mean cooked, I haven't a clue.


I've heard that a fine poem is similar to roasted vegetable --especially onions,carrots and parsnips,sliced yams in foil, garlic, & eggplant. Separate or together as in an anthology. As most lists, the roasted veggie one expands as needed. And all, revered & celebrated.

Blouse. If poetry were a garment would it be a blouse?

Historically, women weren't the only ones to wear a blouse -- children, workman, peasants, and artist. A blouse -- the outer garment gathered at the waist (so there is not waste), calling for us to pay attention to the inner. A poem is like this -- outer/inner, cinched in some way to the page or the listener's ear. Necessary, practical, perhaps beautiful. Mysterious.



Of all the food, I think the tomato (in all its heirloom varieties) is most blouse-like. Your thoughts?

Silhouette. What determines the silhouette of a poem?

Form?
Sound?
Line breaks?
Repetition and/or call and response?

Is a silhouette how a poem appears on the page? How a poem sounds in the ear? Or how the poem tastes in the mouth? Perhaps, when the constellations align -- all these.


Of the food taken tonight. The lacquer bowl held jasmine rice steeped in green tea, steamed skinny green beans, and wild salmon marinated with soy/wasabi & fresh ginger and then pan fried.
And when the lid removed from the lacquer bowl, silhouettes aplenty and non in opposition.

Same could be said of the tastes herein.

Scant. Is poetry skimpy?

Not in a meager sort of way. And sparse is always a blessing.


Simple & fresh always a beauteous paring on the plate.

Thyme. What herb best scents a poem?

I'm thinking thyme.


Off the page, in the kitchen, I'm thinking lemon thyme never disappoints. With eggs, with mushrooms. Basil in not the only herb for tomatoes. Or potatoes.

Time enough to consider.

Inconvenience. Is poetry ever an inconvenience?

Ask a constellation.


What's inconvenient about food? Too far to the market? Not enough -- yes, that surely.
Too much, that, too, painfully.

Balance & ripe. Seesaw & stars.

Chamber. How many chambers does the typical poem have?

As many as it needs to keep sound circulating.
As many as it needs to keep a few spare words when the power goes out.


How many chambers does a kitchen have?

As many as it needs to keep taste circulating.
As many as it needs to keep some tasty leftovers and a selection of olive oils.

And of the chambered nautilus? I believe, 80.

List. Does a poem list?

As in tilt? Or is it ramrod straight? Another thing to consider, are most poems word-lists.


Recipes are lists to be followed, manipulated, or ignored. A good meal lists into good words. Call it conversation.

Jester. Is poetry a jester?

Only on Tuesdays. Late mornings at that.


Is a pancake, bread?
Can a saucepan double as a fry pan?

What is jester; what is gibberish?

Articulated. Is the articulated or the unarticulated most present in a poem?

It matters: the weight of breath.


Some say the freshest ingredient make the finest meal. I'd include the kindest of breath.

Fractal. Is poetry fractal?

Yes. Is peace? Yes. Are poetry and peace related? Yes.


The peaceful kitchen is fractal in abundant, happy pieces.

Bamboo. Do poems exhibit bamboo qualities?

First, let's look at bamboo qualities. Quick growth. Flexibility. Comes in several colors. A system of rhizomes can crowd the stage in quick order. Poems overtake a page in a way that prose doesn't. Besides, I've always said poems have rhizomes.


Bamboo is catching on in the kitchen -- plates, bowls, platters, table runners. Even silverware. Floors. Of course, steamers. Oh those rhizomes.

Book. Does every poem belong in a book?

Is every book filled with poetry?
Is every poem written, a poem?

Why aren't books published with a few blank pages in the midst of all those words. Not the end pages.


Is every meal, a meal? And memorable?


Today, the sun is in full-force; here an unlikely event. The meal, shared, will be good and the words, if not a poem, at least will down-to-earth and savory.

Coda? Do most poems incorporate a coda?

Is closure possible in a poem? Perhaps and probable as a line invites the necessary journey.


With in meal (and life) codas are plates taken to the sink. Smiles & happy bellies from food & conversation. Which is not to say, one can't enjoy a solo exquisite meal. Often should.

Landscape. Does landscape equate to a poem's physicality?

If landscape is how a poem looks to the eye, is sound-scape how the ear interprets the poem? Perhaps, the nose is also involved, subtly.


What's sound-scape in cooking? Ear and nose, of course. The eye wants to be attracted to a plated landscape, don't you think?