"chilies" poems
Contemplating life
over a hot bowl of soup,
my mindful mentor
passed me
the pleasure of oyster
to mix in with
the pain of chilies
stirred together by
chopsticks held in my hands.
There he taught me
the lesson of humanity
and the person's potential,
pointing at me
and then back at the bean sprout,
fiddling it in his chopsticks
as if he were God,
mentioning to me
"This sprout and you have plenty alike..."
"What do you mean?
How am I like a vegetable?"
He smiled and nodded to disagree,
"Life is not always physical.
Think for a second,
open your fragile closed mind.
Imagine this soup not just a bowl
but instead a cauldron,
the mixing of different elements,
sensations seared by heat
to create the luxuries we call
the world where you
are a mere bean sprout."
Looking at the small, colorless
tasteless, inferior plant,
I wondered, confused and asked:
"Am I so inferior in this world
that I cannot compare
to the rich flavor of beef,
to the nurturing noodles,
to the accenting spices,
but instead am no more
than a flavorless root?"
Yet my mentor laughed,
and patiently passed:
"You worry too much young one,
too much on yourself you blame.
Instead, take upon consideration
that the bean sprout is small,
fragile, tasteless like water;
there is nothing you can change
other than size and color,
but lower it into the soup
and patiently stir,
allow it to soak up the world
and obtain its potential."
I repeated his actions,
placed myself in the world,
sat patient and absorbed its essence,
and then removed it,
placed it to my lips.
Surprised that what I later discovered
was not a bland taste of disappointment arose
but instead what lingered to the tongue
was the sweet taste of near perfection.
Apr 6, 2016
Apr 6, 2016 at 11:50 PM UTC
Chilies hang from the ceiling
Clouds grow from the floor
Light comes from the air.
Ladybugs float through the breeze
A hand grasps at nothing
Colors splash at every angle.
Cupcakes being frosted
Flowers being picked
Books being read.
Love violently punching my heart
Knowledge leading my brain to obesity
Contentment filling my smiling soul.
Oct 25, 2010
Oct 25, 2010 at 7:02 PM UTC
Beans and hot chilies
Packing a mean spicy punch
Wait for the odor
Mar 3, 2014
Mar 3, 2014 at 11:13 PM UTC
The bitter neem reminds of those days -
the day your heart broke
the day you have to leave your family
the day your beloved pet passed away
the day you felt your life purposeless
all those days filled with sadness
The sweet jaggery reminds of those days -
the day of your first kiss
the day you achieved a dream
the day your kid first walked
the day you received the first paycheck
all those days filled with happiness
The spicy chilies reminds of those days -
the day you were criticized
the day you couldn’t find a solution
the day you waited long in queue
the day you were rejected after many attempts
all those days filled with anger
The sour tamarind reminds of those days –
the day you are completely lost
the day your dearest friend betrayed
the day you failed in everything
the day the problems seemed unsolvable
all those days filled with disgust
The pinch of salt reminds of those days –
the day you are left alone
the day you failed an exam
the day you have to speak facing the crowd
the day you felt crisis in life
all those days filled with fear
The tangy mango reminds of those days -
the day when a stranger helped you
the day you received an thank you note
the day you met a very old friend
the day when a wish suddenly becomes the reality
all those days filled with surprise
Combine all -
the experiences of life in a single dish
Mar 13, 2018
Mar 13, 2018 at 2:45 AM UTC
well, sure, it's a central american dish...
taragon... infused rice...
no, wait, that's wrong, i'm thinling
of cheap-ass saffron...
ah! turmeric infused rice...
it's a chili con carne...
and i'm looking at it, thinking:
needs some garnish...
**** it... cut up a few mint leaves
and dropped a dollop of yogurt
into the dish...
what?!
what do you imply with
serving a dish, where fresh mint is a garnish?
does the dish sound like any european
might cook, call it a stew and then sprinkle
some parsley onto it?
or does this plate of food, look like something
indian, where you garnish a dish of curry
with some fresh coriander?
****** this is american...
you garnish your grub with mint!
the "apéritif"? hence the inverted commas...
as in... it's not really a drink...
what was it?
brie cheese...
which sounds a lot nicer than having
to brush your teeth... as if expecting to snog someone
in the basin of an hour's worth
of leftover conversation.
china just throws in a bunch of spring onions.
but a chili con carne?
you garnish it with mint,
and if it's really spicy... a dollop of yogurt;
and yes, turmeric is the only substitute to using
saffron...
no... a chili con carne doesn't sound
great, when the garnish is either european parsley,
or south asian coriander;
the north asia garnish? spring onions.
this central american **** (stew) needs mint...
and perhaps some yogurt... if no kashmiri chilies
are used.
May 22, 2017
May 22, 2017 at 3:33 PM UTC
after you drink, enough as i have, you get the strangest
recipes enter your mind...
and you're not as lazy a marijuana smoker
either... you really start imagining things,
that aren't, or shouldn't be there, but later materialise,
and are actually there.
like tonight,
**** me... getting drunk can really give
you the munchies...
i was like: it can't be as simple as crisps
from a packet... it can't be ready made, there,
at an arm's reach... so it began:
bacon,
cherry tomatoes...
garlic paste...
crème fraîche!
parsley to garnish!
pickled chilies!
turmeric!
kashmiri chili powder!
processed cheese! (laughing cow type)...
i swear i missed something...
oh yeah... brassica juncea - or mustard greens,
something a bit like lettuce...
but if packaged, also includes red cabbage snippets...
plus arugula (eruca sativa), also a plant / rocket...
and the carbohydrate canvas to serve it on?
a tortilla!
i swear, i should either stop drinking,
or stop drinking up recipes, when drunk...
either that, or what i'm tasting, when drunk,
tastes really good, or that... well... if someone sober
would dare to eat what i conjure up drunk, would simply puke...
don't know, i conjure this recipe out of my ***
and it stays down... it's not like i'm frying a dog's ****
all of a sudden...
if it stays down, and you get to digest it?
it can only be as bad as it sounds, with you not having
****** around with the stated ingredients, to whatever palette
of proportion that your palette's suited to entertain.
don't know, i swear no marijuana smoker would
go as far as to invent something like this...
you drink... you do get hungry...
and then you experiment,
for some ****** reason that no one seems to be able to explain.
i get right into cooking something up,
primarily because when doing chemistry
at university, the most enjoyable chapter was organic chemistry...
and that was like cooking...
i can't say i'm boasting... i don't know if a sober person
would find this recipe appealing...
but having made it drunk, i'm pretty sure
another drunk would eat it and conclude the same as i:
****** genius... never take me to a kebab takeway... ever again!
oh gee me... clap clap.
by now i might as well insinuate that i'm faking
sniffing lines of ******* by the buzz of positivity i'm feeling.
May 6, 2017
May 6, 2017 at 8:12 PM UTC
Burrito bushes
Under my house
Soggy beans
Hot chilies
Dog for meat
In my soup
Dipping sauce is poopy
97 cookies
1 Child
1 Person that read the first letter of every line
May 11, 2018
May 11, 2018 at 5:42 PM UTC
the brink of dawn clots the milky way
as stars demure and spike. they traipse in the umbra
of an echo rumbling in the drama-sphere, like ghost embers
and dim wicks after the laughing flame has gone missing
and only the tang of dragon's breath -
clings to the weave in the fiber
of Orion's Pelt.
the sky is where god cannot lie, and the heart is a witness
and when that's true
remember
i told you
so.
and repent.
Apr 2, 2015
Apr 2, 2015 at 1:47 AM UTC
See the stars in the night sky
the clear blue seas
and the architecture of shanghai.
See art
the beauty of the world
and the passion of the human heart.
Smell the roses, tulips and lilies
the perfumes and aftershaves
and the over powering smell of chilies.
Smell the coffee, the toast and the flowers
the morning after a rain storm
and the bread in its infant hours.
Touch the sand
the animals of the world
and the many animals that live on the land.
Touch the fabrics
the rivers
and the seas
Feel the wind
the rain as it falls
and the snow hitting your face.
Feel the coldness
the warmness
and the change in temperature.
Hear the birds
the laughter
and the tears.
Hear the dogs
the cats
and the music of the world.
Jan 16, 2015
Jan 16, 2015 at 3:31 PM UTC
Glimpses of memories from a past life
Shadows of my yesterday hanging on my walls, like spiderwebs
The wild intoxicated air has faded away
My living room smells like ordinariness and spring now
Trying to catch old feelings, like a fever
What would I give to feel what I used to feel again
We were not just stars, we were a galaxy
The electric feeling, the heat, the rush
My dilated eyes, my dehydrated body moving and moving
And moving
The shaking fingers, the thirst, the mass oh the overwhelming mass of feelings
Feeling both excited and angry at the same time
Feeling it all, ever so intensely
Tasting love, hatred, rage and despair
My body was a boiling *** of sensations
It was raw and real
It was us, the big city and the night sky
It was us standing on the roof
We didn’t care if we will fall
We didn’t care if we will fly
We dived into the dark black night so deep we forgot about the concept of time and space
It was like ripping out the stars with our bare hands
It was like swallowing an ocean
Sometimes it was an attempt to drown
Sometimes we let the waves carry us away
Sometimes we became the waves
Now it is only me, sitting here, alone, in my living room
Trying to find purpose in zoom meetings, writing emails and harvesting my own chilies.
Not sure whether the pills make me numb
Or let me feel again
Because it’s all the same to me
The night sky is not black anymore, it’s grey
There are no more oceans to drown in anymore
I am wearing a life vest now
These pills are different
They don’t taste like life or energy
They taste like defeat and surrender
It was May when you passed over
From this life onto another
Dividing yours and mine into two seasons
warm summer nights with you
cold winter days alone
Taking with you my ability to feel
Taking with you my boldness
Taking with you my appetite
Mar 26, 2021
Mar 26, 2021 at 1:40 PM UTC
i love
that i can
walk with
a glass
of whiskey
like a broken chandelier
and scream: pickled
green chilies from
turkey!
yum... the whole
sour & spice...
of a kebab
ate without having
written about teen love
lied about to just sell toilet paper.
Oct 11, 2015
Oct 11, 2015 at 12:31 AM UTC
Roses are red,
thinking gets dicey.
Speak to a doctor,
before things get too spicy.
Jul 30, 2020
Jul 30, 2020 at 3:36 PM UTC
Adobe and dust,
a place so quiet.
One grandfather
cottonwood,
leaves rustling,
listens with us
for the next train.
Drought has dried
this land beyond
any living person's
memory.
Now, a cooling wind
gathers power.
The sky over the old
mountains darkens.
As the train pulls
out from the antique
station, a single fork
of lightning frames
itself in the small
rear window.
The silvered tracks
put distance
rapidly behind us.
Opening out now
before us, sunlight
on the High Desert.
We turn to see
starched white
cumulous clouds,
absent for months
float by, flat bottoms
casting healing shadows
over the parched land.
In Albuquerque, we
stop for new passengers.
It's days after the 4th of July;
families have been visiting.
Roasted green chilies,
their fragrance so earthy
are brought onboard.
A mother and her
teenagers sit down
beside me. She smiles,
we talk. This brother
and sister are so good
to each other.
Dinner in the dining car
is an old-fashioned treat.
Big windows and white
cotton table cloths.
I find myself seated
family style, with a
father and son. Some
bicycle race has given
them rare time together.
As night comes on,
the conductor makes
a sleeping time call.
The lights are dimmed.
In the early hours,
walking aisle after
aisle and car to car
I see humanity
asleep in all its
quirky loveliness.
Tanned toddlers,
sprawled almost upside
down. Hair mussed up,
wearing bows meant
for grandparents.
Graying heads,
long accustomed to
leaning into one another,
rest peacefully.
One young man, a poet
with a crown of dreads
stands alone with his
thoughts, looking
out at the stars.
Jostled awake now,
I see the The Big Dipper
perfectly placed as a child
would draw it, twinkling
in my smudged window.
A haze of soft pink light
signals this new day.
All of us, coming home.
Human angels, each
here for one another.
Aug 29, 2015
Aug 29, 2015 at 8:16 PM UTC
I have eyes to see and a mouth to speak.
I gave you my love you thank me with banch of ignorance.
I hate the day I open my mouth for that 4 letter word , I hate that you listened and smile on me.
Like the heaven and earth belong to us,your teeth was always ready to fake your smile.
Now you are closing your story book but you don't want to let me know how the story ends.
But you must know I wasn't born yesterday, I have gone a long miles in this path and I know how hard it can be,your eyes was pure as a snow,but now is like you are working in a chilies factory.
I wasn't born yesterday that I may turn to be your toy,your statue,your bridge that you may cross upon it,
From today you may know that.
I wasn't born yesterday
Mar 9, 2016
Mar 9, 2016 at 3:38 PM UTC
Sometimes I like to touch it
that warm little place inside of you
where I built a home for us,
yes just me and you
Sometimes I like to kiss it
that mouth,
and those lips
hot and red like chilies
and oh that body, baby
tease me, stop me, tempt me if you will
I love to drag my hair across it
just to hear you laugh
I am venus rising
I'll be your greatest goddess
we'll play pretend
laugh and fight
I'll be here in the morning
as long as you lay,
beside me tonight
Dec 6, 2012
Dec 6, 2012 at 8:09 PM UTC
****** hell, I have never seen those eyes
But you are my 42, meaning and universe
The dog, a room, few chilies and some strange-
Men! I need more, more of everything.
Jul 26, 2017
Jul 26, 2017 at 11:52 AM UTC
Fully cooked batter,
Sprinkle of half-baked sighs.
A recipe of truth —
Never a lie.
Throw out the salt;
Add aged cheese,
A dollop of sugar,
A dash of chilies.
Don’t mention the sweat,
Nor the quiet cries.
Because
It’s the recipe of truth —
Never a lie.
Serve the truth,
Or leave it dry.
Maybe a pinch of water,
But never a lie.
Jun 14, 2025
Jun 14, 2025 at 10:37 AM UTC
Illusional, delusional
My mind is confused
Rejection, refusal
My veins are infused
Cursed, accused
My heart is bleeding
Used, abused
My soul is pleading
The uncertainty of thirst
Of a beast slowly slithering
Dressed in a robe like a priest
Torn wrecking and withering
Face of a known God
Heart of a powerful demon
It's life secured in a black cord
Stringed chilies and sour lemon
Preying on the innocent souls
It's lust forever brewing
Feeding on the mine coals
Always aims for higher viewing
Must one be a godly knight
Born to end this, once and for all
For the serpent searches in the night
To whoever answers its call...
©sim
Sep 6, 2017
Sep 6, 2017 at 10:39 PM UTC
Got rejected
Had some poems rejected today
Some 25 year old editor; with an MFA
Suggested getting rid of some chilies
They weren't cliches or common images
When I lived them 40 years ago
Life experience doesn't change much
But at 25 how do you know
That life is a series of cliches
So acclaimed they are repeated again and again
Copyright 2018
Richard L Ratliff
Jun 16, 2018
Jun 16, 2018 at 2:00 PM UTC
the point is that you never make any pope, a saint...
you need only one, st. peter...
making popes into saints is a bit don quixote,
windmills turning into giants!
what happened was really a don quixote
moment in christian history...
what, so he's a saint because he forgave
the turk that shot him, but he forgave him
while the turk was sitting in a prison cell?
why not forgive him, and send him to siberia,
and make him succumb to the curse of cain?
let him wander free...
now that would be true forgiveness,
making him sit in a 6 by 6 by 3 cell and then talking
to him, saying: i forgive you... isn't exactly forgiveness.
how can you forigve, but at the same time use
the full extent of the law?
ship him off to siberia!
let's see what freedom and forgiveness are really like
when combined.
another thing that ****** me off...
apart from the above...
so he's the saint known as: kissing the airport tarmac
as some sort of gesture of grace... right?
i'm going to start calling him the tarmac-kissing "saint".
if that's the case, why shouldn't descartes be regarded
as a synonym of st. thomas... i mean: both of them
took the pillar of their belief as: belief through doubt...
but descartes ins't a saint...
oh, couple doubt with belief, and you're almost
like a woman...
it's the is it? and isn't it?
**** me... a bit like me,
i drink, and build up an appetite, as if i were a pregnant woman,
c'mon: pickled chilies? processed cheese? crème fraîche?
cherry tomatoes? bacon?
in a tortilla?
why not throw a gherkin into the combo while you're at it?!
is this the first pope-saint?
now i'm thinking: the 16th century
jesuits would be ****** off... they'd revive the inquisition
if they had to. ship the turk off to siberia,
and kiss the actual earth of the country
rather than stage a photo opportunity, kissing the airport tarmac;
oh wait... too late... he slobbered himself to death
on the throne... but at least elvis died on the throne of thrones...
the ******* toilet.
i too would love to die... while taking a ****
May 7, 2017
May 7, 2017 at 1:06 PM UTC