It is perhaps, no miracle, this glass
of aromatic Chartreuse, but
it opens the mouth surprisingly.
Sweetly green. Intensely green.
A wildly vital explosion of green
that baptizes the inside of the cheeks,
a smile turned in on itself.
Here in the glass, the taste
of three hundred years of practice,
here the devotion of Carthusian monks
who live in the mountains of France.
If I were more discerning, perhaps
I could find in it notes of hyssop and thyme,
cinnamon, mace, lemon balm, angelica root.
But of the one hundred thirty ingredients,
I taste mostly peppermint. And green.
What I most wish to taste
in the glass is a hint of silence.
Some of the monks speak once a week.
Some speak once a year. The rest of the time
they spend in study. And prayer.
My friend Alan says he stole a bottle once.
I think I taste the why. Not the flavor,
though it’s alluring, but the way
it makes the mouth
so aware of itself, so utterly alive,
so willing to believe there’s
so much more to learn
about opening.
“I think I taste the why. Not the flavor,
though it’s alluring, but the way
it makes the mouth
so aware of itself, so utterly alive,
so willing to believe there’s
so much more to learn
about opening.”
Love these last few lines.
thank you, I did work on them for a while … changed them many times to try to get them to serve the poem better … I really appreciate your feedback.
Ahh… see, I always thought it was more yellow than green 🙂 — great poem!!
well, now I know there are two kinds, yellow and green!
thanks for the feedback 🙂
You are welcome! 😀
This is a delight, Rosemerry. It’s been many years since I tasted green Chartreuse. You have invited me to re-think a younger time when I was almost afraid to try it, and I became bold with one taste, one swallow.
Thanks, Rick yes, it was a first for me, and I guess I was a bit nervous to try it, too it made a lasting impression I think, as it sounds as it did with you, too!
From: “comment-reply@wordpress.com” Reply-To: Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:12 AM To: Rosemerry Trommer Subject: [A Hundred Falling Veils] Comment: “Served Room Temperature in a Circle of Friends”
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Splendid!
Thanks, Jazz it was a very fun night last night. I had never tasted Chartreuse before, a drink so splendid they named a color after it
From: “comment-reply@wordpress.com” Reply-To: Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 7:18 AM To: Rosemerry Trommer Subject: [A Hundred Falling Veils] Comment: “Served Room Temperature in a Circle of Friends”
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The taste of silence, a wonderful turn on the flavors.