In a Nod to Neruda- An Ode to Charcuterie

Juicy lips

tip, 

full ripe figs.

Slate gray,

ashes on lips

Smashes sweet,

red grapes.

Glistening nodes of fat 

lace and line the tips,

of your tongue’s

flicking tastes.

The bowls of your cheeks,

Protruding.  

Prosciutto ham. 

Juniper flecks imbibe 

brightly,

the luscious lovely Speck.

A stately ham, 

for vintners and glam

Ching Ching, Ching Ching!

A Cheer to Ham, Chorizo

and Man!

Spiced little devils,

eat hearty hard chubs, 

red fans flaming, like petrol

on tongues. 

Charcuterie’s fine purveyors,

slice it sweet,

my man! 

Thin sheets with gobs of fat,

snuggled, tightly bound,

my friend!

Bring the cheese, bring the wine,

and, 

some fruity jam,

you found!

Charcuterie’s journey

from hog to butcher, 

to artisanal hands, 

resound!

in love, 

pound by pound, 

and heaps spoonfuls

of essence, of sugared sweets,

like me on you, 

our passionate embrace

our lovers retreats!

This tale, this connective tissue,

that weaves through, 

all beast and man, is cave-aged,

dry-aired, fermented with care. 

Some, 

briny vats of supple pork, 

encased, enshrined like tombs.

These priestly links, are longing for confessions 

to cast aside their carnal sins,

their wayward possessions. 

The meaty heathen’s heavenly ride, 

charcuterie’s blissful, 

subtle,

divine.

©Jay Mora-Shihadeh

One of my earliest inspirations, was Chilean born Poet, Pablo Neruda-

Pablo Neruda is one of the most influential and widely read 20th-century poets of the Americas. 

Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash

#Meat #Charcuterie #Poetry #Freeverse