Sugar and spice
and some things nice;
are not too good
to have as food.
-------------
1. Refined carbohydrates: in the form of
    a. white sugar
    b. white flour
    c. white rice
(avoid the above or anything made with them as much as you possibly can)
2. Cigarette Smoke
3. Soft Drinks
4. Alcoholic Drinks
5. Junk Food
6. Common Table Salt
7. Bad Company
8. Sedentary Lifestyle
9. Food Additives: in the form of
    a. artificial colors and flavors
    b. preservatives
10. Overindulgence in ***
11. Not enough sleep
12. Drugs
_____

These are the ingredients for a poem. But like all recipes, you don't need every ingredient every time:

MUSIC
- beat, rhythm & rhyme
IMAGERY
- pictures painted
IMAGINATION
- describing what's not there.

STORY
- the narrative, the journey within the poem
STRUCTURE
- size & shape (line breaks and stanzas)

Also, you may have a inclination to use a particular ingredient to the exclusion of others - so as you recognise this, experiment with those ingredients which you are less confident about using.

Note
- the first three are where poets typically find their freedom to explore ideas within the poem;
- the last two are where the reader typically finds handholds / the anchor to better engage with the poem.

As I sat at the kitchen table,
I saw my daughter- in- law fry an egg,
She discarded the egg yolk,
She was about to put it in the bin,
I took it from her.
Next my son returned from the supermarket,
He had bought olive oil for his pretty wife,
She was a freak on olive oil,
I asked for two tablespoons,
"Mum, what are you up to."
I smiled sweetly.
I had the Vaseline,
I need to put it on my hands and soles,
Honey is in plenty at home.
I steamed the Vaseline till it melted,
Took it off the heat,
Added other ingredients,
Meshed the mixture to a smooth paste,
My face mask for removing wrinkles was ready,
It worked,
Thanks Pinterest.

everyone agrees that you're
tasteless and flavourless
when it comes to
choosing the ingredients
to make the dough for love.

similar to a slice of
cold, leftover pizza,
hated like pineapples
as the toppings,
slapped on like a can of
expired tomato sauce,
cut away like
unwanted crustings,
and being as cheap as
a low-quality mozzarella.

definitely
loved by me
but purely hated
by the entire world.

Carrot and coriander, why are you so pally?
With your 'c' sounding names and you both being edible,
Well I've got news for you boys,
I think you're absolutely terrible.

Carrot and coriander, why are you so pally?
Just because you both like soup and a little bit of season,
It doesn't mean you should be so close, it's not a good enough reason.

Carrot and coriander, why are you so pally?
You hang around in cardboard cartons, talking trash about other ingredients,
Well its just not acceptable boys, and I'm really not feelin' it.

Carrot and coriander, why are you so pally?
People think you're great, with your complementary flavours,
Well I'm sorry boys, think you're tasty? Do me a 'kin favour.

writing like

- a grocery list of metaphors

- for a cooking recipe instruction

- or some kind of

- shipping manifesto;

- let your deductive mind

- interpret its own flow

- since that's the one thing

- we don't naturally grow

- but if you put too much spice in that dish

- bear in mind

(x) it’s best served cold