Tonight's Poet Corner: Bring It To A Boil

Bring It To A Boil
by Belinda Roddie

we drank homemade root beer
made from the sassafras
that your mama grows
in Iowa before the summer scorches
the bones that make up the ground

your mama's recipe that came
from her papa when he still
cut up roots and wrapped them
in paper towels like swaddling
a newborn bundle of babies

we drank it together
molasses and spices
molasses and kisses
on ceramic mugs
we drank it together
molasses and spices

something tells me your mama
wouldn't take kindly to me
sitting on your porch, leaving
lip tattoos on your neck and chin

something tells me your mama
would smell the cinnamon on me
the soda water and anise on me
diluted but rich enough
to catch in one nostril or the other

all the kisses caught
in between mouthfuls
she doesn't need to know
and the neighbors don't care

we'll drink it together
molasses and spices
sassafras growing
in an Iowan heat wave
we'll drink it together
molasses and spices
molasses and kisses
before your mama gets home