appetizers

the everyday no-nonsense part
of a particular artist i know
leans toward eat-to-live
rather than live-to eat.
this gal, god love her,
doesn’t snack,
rarely nibbles while she preps food,
is disinclined to have any kind of happy hour
where she sits out on the back deck
before a meal to whet her appetite
with crackers or cheese or chips or hummus
or crudités or hard cider.
she’d sooner take a walk than eat a snack,
sooner have her fill at the table than at the stove,
sooner read than partake before dinner.

however, the part of her that shows up
to write poems and paint? that gal has a
different story altogether! she is all about
snacks, always has an eye out for
appetizers, is not shy whatsoever
about loading up
the cocktail plate she carries
at all times in her pocket,
cannot curb the gusto
with which her hungry
self reaches for starters!

a sliver of shadow? she begins salivating.
canapés of calendula and coreopsis? she grabs a handful.
an amuse-bouche of seeing her neighbor watering her garden
on a summer morning? pass her the recipe.
an hors d’oeuvre of grief? she’s unafraid to roll it around
on her tongue to explore its depth of bittersweet.
an antipasto of kandinsky concentric circles? bring on the hot sauce.

consider yourself forewarned:
when she starts noshing,
do not get in her way.

—dotty seiter

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⬇️ GUEST ART! ⬇️

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Notes about poem and art:
Take yourself to Lola’s blog for the story behind today’s post! Lola does a Reader Giveaway at the end of each month at her blog. When you leave a comment on any post during the month you are automatically entered. One lucky commenter then wins their own Question Exchange, to be defined in the way that suits them best! My name was drawn from the hat at the end of November : )