FROM NEW YORK TO MIAMI WITH LOVE
It has been recorded on surveyor's maps
that Mount Everest, standing 29,028 feet tall,
is the highest point on the face of the earth.
Still, when you were here,
I could see its snow covered peaks below me.
It has been recorded on oceanographer's dials
that the deepest depths of the Pacific
lie 35,820 feet below sea level
and that it takes a one pound metal ball
63 minutes to fall to the bottom.
Still, on the day you left,
I stretched high but yet
could not touch that metal ball
at the end of its plunge.
It has been recorded on astronomer's charts
that the remotest heavenly body
visible to the naked eye
is the Great Galaxy in Andromeda
known as Messier 31;
2,120,000 light years away.
Still, since you have been gone,
as I reach out to grasp your hand
during moments of forgetfulness,
the east coast might as well span
twice the light years to Andromeda.
Indeed, though the distance between us
may at times seem unbearable,
the nearest one in my universe is you.
This has been recorded in my heart.
KNOW YOUR CHICKEN (FOR CIBO MATTO)
What Asian delicacies
have you set forth upon my table?
Free range birds; smooth yellow-brown skin;
perhaps slightly underdone.
Oh, the fragrance spewing!
Such an arresting presence;
surely good enough, if not too good, to eat;
tender curves and dainty features
quietly portraying a most honorable lineage;
lean legs supportive of finely trimmed thighs;
firm yet supple breasts.
Shall I feel guilt or remorse
if these striking beauties were to succumb
to my gluttonous comportment? Undoubtedly.
Do I have the strength and resolve
to do what is right? Most certainly.
Chopsticks, please,
before they take flight.
[Cibo Matto is an eclectic music group formed in 1994 by two Japanese women. The band performs songs of food and love.
Cibo Matto means "food madness" in Italian. The poem, "Know
Your Chicken," is a reference to the song of that name found on
the group's "Viva! La Woman" CD.]
Previous Poetry Gallery
Poetry Galleries
Home