Acrostics: Patricia

Pretty lady, stay a while
And let me love your company.
Take my breath with just a smile;
Reach in and spark the joy in me.
It’s not much I ask of you –
Come sit with me and let me know
I can spend some time with you,
And stay a while before you go.

 

Possible, impossible: I wonder –
As I know, impossible can happen –
True and perfect, over, through and under,
Right as only Paradise can fashion:
Is this what was hidden deep inside?
Could it be we should have stayed and tried?
I don’t know. I hope it’s good we’ve done.
After everything, who is the one?

Tomato: Aphrodisiac?

A relative of nightshade, the tomato has had a checkered history of public opinion. Most cultures that generate any opinion at all about the fruit are either afraid of it due to its deadly cousin or enchanted by it. Tomatoes were brought to Europe by the Spanish, who busily plundered anything of interest from the New World. Either intentionally or by accident of translation from the Italian, the French dubbed them “apples of love” and the idea stuck.

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Love Sonnet XVII

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

 

(Pablo Neruda, “100 Love Sonnets”)

Acrostics: Kristine

Kiss thirsty lips that only beg for more,
Redoubled in their thirst by what should sate,
Intoxicated by that gentle touch,
Set free and shackled by that silken gate.
To fully tell the meaning of the kiss
Is more than can be done by words alone –
No matter; just the wonder of it is
Enough to make a wand’ring bard your own.

 

Keenly felt and
Redolent of
Ivory and
Sweet perfume, this
Tender love is
Incense made of
Night and touch and
Each emotion

Pine Nuts: Aphrodisiac?

The seed of a pine tree, found within pinecones, is called a pine nut, or pignoli (in more proper Italian, pinoli). It’s easily found in grocery stores, either on their own or as part of pesto. Of the many species of pine, maybe 20 have seeds large enough to bother harvesting. Each has a slightly different taste, but in general they are delicately flavored and pleasantly textured.

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