Mesquite fires of the forbidden
Ignite a sizzling plancha of blended lust.
Fantasies in every fervent flavor meld spicily,
Swirl in imagination-whisked synchronicity,

A burner in its brightest blue-blazed bloom
Feeds the rolling boil of a purloined elixir.
Percolates liquid delirium into savory steam

I groan with gusto for your taste.

We consume
And are consumed,
Losing track of when the amuse-bouche
Became the digestif.

You’re full.
You’ve overindulged.
Your gluttonous conscience revolts.
The convivial chef abandons the banquet without a word

Unattended, the cataplana's streaming pearls
Subside to timid bubbles
And cool to tepid tastelessness.

I weep at what has gone to waste.

The heat that once seared
Will also scorch and cauterize,
Frag the longest patience
Into tooth-cracking crumbs.

I grow indifferent from your space.

When your hunger gnaws once more
I will have quite lost my appetite,

Save your back-burner recipes
For another part-time gourmand.