Roasted walnuts. Can a poem be roasted as walnuts can?

Take this under advisement. A true conundrum, similar to the inconvenience of an empty bowl?

The much loved & recited poem is akin to roasted walnuts. The mouth experiences warmth and release of satisfying oil.

On the eve of Halloween, a cautionary tale. Never allow a hand-crafted pizza to go un-topped with walnuts. Well, almost never.

Pumpkins. What kind of poem resembles a pumpkin?

The carved into allowing light or the perception of.

Words are seeds. Pumpkin or otherwise.

Wrapped food. Are poems wrapped food?

Of course. Language is skin holding together that which is within. Within the within? Energy -- thought & gesture.

Color. How does color inform both food & poetry?

At this moment in SF, it is a fine time to be feasting on persimmons with their giant like orange color.

Can there be an absence of color in food -- black licorice or dates? Have we moved
into a discussion of Halloween? What's a terrifying poem? The one that went unwritten.


Minimalist epic: Persimmons masquerading as apples

picked
before
fall
from
tree
shapely
the crunch
thereof
timely

Champagne. Which poems are written when Champagne is sipped?

Sparkling & bubbly ones, of course. And poems which pare with smoked salmon & creme fraiche. Celebrations with old & new friends.

Who said read a poem enough times to hear the laughter, the joy in it? Joy is akin to effervesce. Welcome it coming & going.

Giants. What poetry do Giants eat?

Celebratory words and perhaps, in a few days, all in San Francisco will be seated at the festive table. Or perhaps in the street raising voices as in a slam.

Odes to the Giants! For those who wish to be exact, there's a school of baseball poetry. Not quite like cowboy, but more akin than not.

Refrigerator. What language does the refrigerator and poetry speak?

Language of left-overs.
Language of bits & pieces.
Language of surprise (both pleasant and otherwise).
Language of question.
Language of too much.
Language of too little.
Language of the ripe.
Language of the over-ripe.


Some refrigerators are covered with magnetic poetry. Some poems are vehicles for menus.

Grapes on the vine. How are those grapes similar to published poems?

They both have their natural affinity; their necessary community. Go so far to call it home. Confused? Grapes off the vine are still grapes as poems unpublished are poems. Grape & poem crave a home -- modest as it might be.

Asparagus. How does roasted asparagus mimic lines of poetry?

By form, asparagus is linear. Line-like. Roasted asparagus is sweet and soft -- unexpected. Poetry frequents the unexpected even when it looks mild on the page.

Chicken soup. What's the kinship between chicken soup and writing a poem?

Well if your grandmother never told you, perhaps, I should. A poem in its most culinary form is chicken soup. And, yes, chicken soup is always poetry. The ladle, the pen welcome leftovers to the stock pot. Remember, the page is often such.

Peaches. How are peaches & poems related?

Necessary indulgences especially when peaches roasted (yes, that's what I meant) and poems read aloud.


Recipe to accommodate a poem being itself & read aloud

400 degree oven
slice a peach
arrange on baking dish
roast as you would a poem
until finished

Pears. What does the appearance of a pear teach us about poetry?

And what it doesn't.
First the affirmative. The physically of both pear and poem should please. Not much of a leap to draw the similarity between the shape of pear and woman. All to the good.

Second, there is more than one varietal of pear. Same with poetry. As my grandma said, "Nothing singular to nature."

We speak in generalities (pear or poem) cognizant of the subtle variations.


Fall
pears do
perhaps
poems
too.

Fuyu persimmons. What do Fuyu and the last line in a poem share?

A lineage of anticipation. Anticipation through the first bite to the last lingering word. Crunch of the ripe -- you can hear it, smell it, taste it.

Soon, soon Fuyu persimmons will be as plentiful in the market as words. Yummy.

Fiesta salad. How does a fiesta salad anticipate a poem?

First, what's a fiesta salad? All that is ripe & colorful & tossed on a plate or a white shallow bowl with an accompaniment of great music. Creative, health-loving, and eye & ear snapping. Much like Fiesta on the Hill, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center's annual fundraiser. Always the third Sunday of the month, October 21 10-6 along Cortland. Always a ton of great music. Free.

Poetry is music & food & meant to be shared.

A Fiesta Salad for Lunch to Anticipate Fiesta on the Hill

heirloom tomatoes, chunks
avocado, cubed
almonds
Persian cucumbers, cubed
Welch cheddar, cubed
Fuji apple, chuncks
peppers, twists of
basil, fresh & torn
olive oil

Late harvest salad. What connects a l.h.s. with a fine poem?

Let's place a late harvest salad in context. It's the beginning of October and the heirlooms (tomatoes, of course) are a superb marriage of color and juiciness. So fresh & exquisitely sunset-ish. Just what a fine poem does -- startles gratitude.

Late harvest salad to accompany an avocado

two heirlooms
handful spinach
small handful mix of currants, sunflowers seeds, bits of almond
a fat & flavorful avocado
twists of pepper

cheese would complement
sometimes going without (did she mean going minimal?)makes the dish and/or paper happy

Saffron rice. How does saffron rice anticipate poetry?

The delightful surprise of color. Celebratory & royal hue with sweet gesture of raisin & pistachio. Why haven't I thought of this before -- paper is bowl for words.

The saffron a gift. The next word also a gift.