08/22: hot enough to break

Ellen Roche
Aug 22, 2017 · 1 min read

Crinkled noodles and an orb-floating egg,

ruby shavings, enoki spears, and scotch-

bonnet pickled bamboo shoots, that she said

would make it hot enough to break the lock

of fever in my shadowed cheeks. Instead

I reached for the competing pepper, salt-

habanero — sun in its own right — red

under yellow, seed-studded to a fault.

There is deletion in delirium

of shining facts and blur-star-blurred features —

we blank into the pinking stun of sun

and call ourselves our only god’s creatures.

We wilt. I broke shiitake broth to brave

the broad capsaicin brine and cabbaged wave.

)
Ellen Roche

Written by

I’m writing a sonnet every day in 2018. Poetry / Portraits / Women’s History / Film Photography / Brand Strategy /Vintage Dresses / DC ellencroche.com

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade