In Praise of Italian Sauce

Vinegar as balm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Born before the founding of Rome,

When the gods used to play in Troy,

That Aeneas brought over in his bag,*

The father of all food flavors, vinegar.

 

A product of wine when left to ferment,

Adds flavor and preserves its blooms,

That's to be taken up again at a later date,

When the spring of man returns to fruit.

 

O sing of the joys of a life so preserved,

Called 'daughter of vine,' by poets' verses,

She that whispers of all that is possible,

In heart and in the songs of clementine.

 

A standard sauce today in most places,

For people on the go, no time for 2 hr lunches,

Helps with recall when recall becomes due,

For the chase and the joy of such a marathon.

 

Praise for vinegar is praise for the gods of olde,

Before the horse brought speed to the saddlebow,

A revelation in the stories of the bards of yore,

As fresh today, as salad with Italian sauce.

 

 

 

* The John Dryden translation of Virgil's ' Aeneid ' contains no reference to a bottle of vinegar in Aeneas's bag. Reports that Roman soldiers carried vinegar in their bag, inspired this poet to contrive this line in the verse, which upon checking is found to be untrue. It is a never ending effort to balance inspiration with the facts, an obligation that this poet or any poet is pledged to.

Reviews

[Leslie Philibert]

Enjoyed reading this,enjoy reading poems based or inspired by historical events.
Like the tongue-in-cheek style and humor.

[rosemary keogh]

Wow amazing write.