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Sonnet No. 18—A First Draft

with a nod to William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to an onion brown?
Thou art surely more wrinkled and more pale:
Its juice may cause a tear to tumble down,
and hands, for days, to reek a stench most stale;
Sometimes, too hot, the frying pan doth sear,
And then the oiled rings are quick to burn;
And supper's fare then leads not to good cheer,
For saddened palates poison tongues in turn;
But thy delicious wit, sharp as a knife,
Is more apt to bring laughter than a tear;
Thy fragrance, sweet, shall be no cause for strife;
Except when thou pass wind too close, I fear.
   So long as tongues can taste and nose can smell
   So long live onions, and live thee as well

by Michelle Green

Chocolates from the Portuguese 43

with a nod to Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me taste the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My tongue can reach, when probing out of sight
For the last of the mousse in a crevasse.
I love thee in boxes or upon trays
Assorted flavors over which we fight.
I love thee freely, though money is tight;
I love thee purely, in an endorphic haze.
I love with addiction and abuse
For my old griefs and with my long lost faith.
I love thee with a lust I wish to lose
For my health sake, with diabetic breath,
Pancreas failing until my dark muse,
Chocolate, grants a most delicious death.

by Bartholomew Barker
both in volume 5 issue 2

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