micropoetry / culinary poetics
His Extraordinary Serenade Stole My Heart
by the lake
what secret does a lowly root of the dark mud hold
playful hollows cradling glorious glutinous treasures
causing soft lips to part~~tongue tempting palate~~
warmth infuses~~knees weak~~
sun red syrrrrrup~~gold osmanthus
serenades
a southern riverine tender treat~~chuckles infiltrate
street to palace~~fragrance flowing~~
water roots befriend unlikely land seeds~~become one~~
only when peace flourishes
can cuisines
fly~~
poets say Jiangnan’s* beauty is unbeatable
turquoise brooks sing~~simple houses
black roofs white walls
lotus ponds
willows
mists
disintegrate into magnanimity of heart~~
not betrayal nor martyrdom nor jealousy scores
water and land the same hues in reflection~~
cultural survival wants ancestral wisdom
seeking benevolence of
nature
when the world does cartwheels and summersaults
hearts gather in their own Jiangnan~~
where sweetness is light and
goodness resides knowing
they are but guests
of time
© Pseu Pending (Seu) 2023
*Jiangnan 江南 — Southern banks of downstream Yangtze River, known for poetic water scenery where culinary treats abound. Sweet lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice is one popular Jiangnan street food, winging all the way to prestigious circles.
An image by the contemporary ink art giant Wu Guanzhong— one of my favorite artists — finds its way into my subconscious. Wu often painted dreamy black and white houses and water canals in Jiangnan. Far from a dreamy life, he lived through WWII and cultural turmoils, laced with journeys overseas and inland. His famous paintings of lotus ponds are not ones in full bloom, but those withering in autumn when lotus roots reign delicious abundance.
Culinary Poetics
