Ode to Rhubarb
Ruby-throated, full-blooded,
Flushed with April rains,
all that growth spurt
shooting upwards.
Long-legged, gangly
and modest, all that
honest-to-goodness
goodness crowned
in poisonous leaves.
Resourceful, you say.
Not too much sugar,
you say. Let my tartness
be its own kind of sweet.
____________
Suzy Harris
Review by Massimo Fantuzzi
And what might the flavor of life be? Some say space’s smell could resemble sulfur, but my uneducated guess is that each atmosphere or nebula must foster its own bouquet. There is a chemistry at work here and out there that we understand only superficially, but it’s a chemistry capable (in our case, with some exceptions) of self-awareness – an ode to this is an ode to our effort to explore. An ode to rhubarb is the only sensible and honest way to approach this universe.