How Hot Do You Like It?
I could never leave my Hot Chili Peppers
How hot do you like them?
Caliente? or Dulce?
Hot as the equator’s sizzling heat
or like sprinting through burning sands
scorching the bottoms of your feet …
like hot chili peppers
tingling the roof of your mouth
and the tip of your tongue …
Or do you like it sweet
as the fruit of the earth and the trees,
as gentle and mild as a cool summer breeze …
Everyday she carries a basket
of hot chili peppers to market and back
Selling colors so bold
as the ribbons on her sack
Jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero
the hottest of them all
They burn in my heart
As they blaze in my soul
It is an acquired taste
as they sting both eyes
ahh, the torture, the pain
Is there any pleasure to gain?
With cayenne and tabasco
I will not be alone
But the hot chili pepper
has a kick of its own
For what is the thrill
in this wonderful life
without a pinch of seasoning
and little hot spice …
@ Connie Song 2020
Thursday Poetry Prompt on The Cotton Thread: Chili Pepper
