The Last Bay Leaf
The lentil curry
glides across our tongues.
Instead of the bit of cilantro
the recipe called for
but we didn’t have,
you used a few fresh bay leaves,
and the steam now rising is heady.
The last bay leaf eluded you
when you fished the others out
just before serving, slipped
into the bottom of your bowl
as if seeking to be felt, tasted,
not discarded
without at least a crunch.
M.S. Rooney lives in Sonoma, California with poet Dan Noreen. Her work appears in journals, including The Blue Mountain Review, Hole in the Head Review, Leaping Clear and Pensive Journal and anthologies, most recently Alchemy and Miracles (Cassandra Arnold, Editor). Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
The lentil curry
glides across our tongues.
Instead of the bit of cilantro
the recipe called for
but we didn’t have,
you used a few fresh bay leaves,
and the steam now rising is heady.
The last bay leaf eluded you
when you fished the others out
just before serving, slipped
into the bottom of your bowl
as if seeking to be felt, tasted,
not discarded
without at least a crunch.
M.S. Rooney lives in Sonoma, California with poet Dan Noreen. Her work appears in journals, including The Blue Mountain Review, Hole in the Head Review, Leaping Clear and Pensive Journal and anthologies, most recently Alchemy and Miracles (Cassandra Arnold, Editor). Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
