Afternoon Sauté

 
Large pan, deep, decades of sauce and sausage
have simmered in this old friend.
Starts with extra-virgin, sweet, sweetened more
with thinly sliced white onion and thinner sliced
garlic, seasoned slightly with salt, pepper, that
helps the essence of the onion melt in the oil.

The room takes on a mediterranean aroma.
You are watching from the living room with a
favorite Pinot in your favorite goblet.
Carrot, red, green pepper, sliced carefully
with cutlery that you just sharpened. Basil,
oregano - the peppers soften, add the porcinis.

As the mushrooms cook down, splash with balsamic,
The browned sausage, sweet and hot, has cooled,
half are crumbled into the vegetables.
Alexa plays Billy Joel - bottle of red, bottle of white,
the mushrooms are releasing their liquid.
I sneak in, kiss your neck, steal a sip of wine.

You tell me it smells great, ready for tomatoes,
paste first, adds a new texture to the ragu,
then San Marzano plums, crushed slightly,
they’ll sauté themselves into sauce. As it melds,
the rest of the sausage go back in to flavor
the process, the simmer, the rest of the afternoon.

Alexa switches to Dylan and James Taylor.
We open a second bottle, you come in like Eve
approaching the quince and wanting a taste.
Reminding you of the rule of don’t taste too early,
I slither over hip to hip, bring the spoon to your lips,
it is clear your horizon has opened to future defiance.