in honor of garlic cloves. . .

- By Sabine Broeck

(Jules Chametzky. Photo by Jerome Liebling, courtesy of Rachel Liebling)
 

in honor of garlic cloves
baked whole
in rosemary olive oil
 

that eating together could be
an art
which Americans have perfected

that auld lang syne could come in versions unexpected

that canons are what you make of them

that living in generations brings gracefulness to life

that wisdom does not intimidate

that skin is in the eye of the beholder

that one Jew was personally against the murder
of Jesus, German killing fields, Palestinian revenge and
Zionist “Landnahme” –
all in one breath

that jokes may be sophisticated

that a parent must not be biological

that talking can be listening

that cholesterol is bad for you

that drinking vodka does not make you a drunk

that a kitchen may be a universe

and that garlic can be eaten oven-baked whole, with peel, drenched in oil, tasting of
    rosemary crunch

. . . little did I know.

for Jules, on his birthday, July, 2003