coloring
If your man doesn't know cumin
from cardamom, it's time to let him go.
But if he discovers a wetted paintbrush dipped
into turmeric makes a soft yellow line
on your back, spells something like You
are my sun- then keep him and hold on tight.
I like a cupboard packed with jam jars rubbed clean,
full of the sand from the fantasy beaches of me
and my man and a paintbrush I conjured up
just last night- a cupboard where the difference in reds
means danger or victory for my pot of stew.
fragrance
And what about cloves pierced
into a fat orange, strung up with ribbon
at Christmas? Who came up with that,
and what kind of twisted need did they have
for the occasional prick of spikes under
nails? Once when we were leaving
Bombay Palace, my father spooned
caraway and licorice bits into my palm
from the jade bowl no the counter and said,
"This will clean your breath." The owner
twitched his mustache, and nodded.
heat
Pepper is the obvious choice, in its powder form,
I mean- but there's something about the crush
of peppercorns into a salad, over pasta, the twist
and flex of wrist that sends men back for more.
But if you really want to impress, try chili flaked fresh
under a rolling pin and wax paper. Make sure he sees
you doing this labor of love- act as if you do this
at every meal, that this is how it would be every day
if he desired. And after dinner, float some
in his tea, slip some into his slice of cake.
Be careful for the warmth of his mouth.
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