to boil carrots is to love you. to peel the rough
into a pile, to hold steady my finger behind
the blade and weight of palm to balance
a straight cut. to let my nose reach the
heat first, hovering over the steam for
the right sense of time to send the earth
orange into the pot. to place a lid and
trap enthalpy of my heart. to soften
to sweet. to drain all the excess, to salt
butter, plate. to watch you watch me as
i have shown i know, this is always enough.