Pleasures Poem by RIC BASTASA

a smooth flow of chivas regal
inside my throat lingering
but only for a while,

a white flower carried by this vine
on its soft tendrils crawling an iron fence
a trellis as lean-on

a salmon sushi bathed in soy bean sauce
and a fingerfull of wasabe
inside my tongue the chili running
towards me throat lingering and
rising in my nostrils in my brain

hot green tea that i sip
slowly
chopstick on top of a teriyake
a bowl of seafood ramen
its flavors rising to the lamps
of the ceiling

i face you and you face me
at this moment
we nod to make another sip
of life
we face each other again
remembering a promise.