We walked to Brooklyn Flea—
the ramps are in season.

You bought the local chocolate,
a balance of salt and pungent,
but I like the blue tin,
bitter with chili oil.

Tasting,
its like pressing
your fingernails
into your palm
as a nurse draws blood—

the bitterness flows quickly on top of the heat.

I’ll buy some for next month.
 

— Published in “Rutherford Red Wheelbarrow # 7” (September 2014)