
The Mashed Potato Threats (Letter No. 13) to Adam
Ruth Moon Kempher
I am going to
I am going to make mounds and heaps and slurps and dips of
warm potato, smashed with globs of limpid butter
flaccid cream
I am going to whip them up
in mountains, in tidal waves, whole EARTHS, indeed!
(with sprinkles of salt and pepper, effete)
O the blessed potato, gift of the squaw
that saved the Irish, the English
the whole bloody fleet
lascivious potatoes, with possibly
here and there a dab of cheese
I will mash them, crush them, squeeze
POTATOES in my fingers
an ORGY of potatoes
smear them, mush them, with a fork, with a spoon
I don't care
Glorious potatoes
I am going to eat and eat and eat and EAT.
They will caress my teeth.
They will fondle my tongue
slide to my stomach groaning,
still warm elixirs of potato and cream
they will languish with me, concupiscent
marvelous, moist with cream
Earth's fairest fruit, the vegetable supreme –
MASHED POTATOES
bowls and ships and volcanoes of MASHED POTATOES
and you will come to me
finally, after all these weeks
and for once in my life I will say "no" to you.
O yes. "No," to you. "Go.
I am replete, I am filled, satiate, I have fed my fill
on the friendly potato."
And you will look at me
with your inventory eyes
Dear Love –
you will know.