My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires – Andrew Marvell
With sharp, fierce tears the onion stings our eyes,
Yet subtly sweetens omelettes, stews, and pies.
What else is there in life that pierces, burns,
Soothes, mellows, and surprises us by turns?
Vivid with dawn and sunset’s royal wealth,
Beetroot is also sovereign stuff for health.
Where else is such an alloy found on Earth –
Life-giving virtue and aesthetic worth?
A courgette’s shape stirs the imagination
With full, ripe promises of satiation,
While its lush blossoms coax the appetite
Deep into realms of delicate delight.
A salad bar of accolades cannot
Do justice to our vegetable plot.
What other bed holds such a luscious store
Of good-and-so-good-for-us metaphor?
Chris O'Carroll
If you have any comments on this poem, Chris O'Carroll
would be pleased to hear from you.
