Not quite a morsel or a nugget,
not a hint or a nibble or slice or shred,
not a scrap or a snack or a grain or a crumb,
not even a hunk or a chunk or a taste or a treat—
how do I say this—
it’s a preview to a portion,
a sample of a serving but
with the offer and tenderness behind
let me fix you a plate,
handmade, it’s the bread as giftwrap
that expertly ties the filling
so you can open with your teeth,
it’s what dazzles the tongue
of another that’s the other
part of it, loghmeh
and immediately, you are adored,
a hungry darling that awaits
what gathers in the palms of the maker
and fits deliciously
in your gentle fist,
the wet crunch of fresh mint
pressed to a cubic inch
of white cheese and crushed walnut,
your fingers first, savor it before you,
the one to one ratio
of handful to mouthful, and this
plea from the provider, yeh loghmeh!
comes from the historic desperation to take
care, to preface enormous fondness
with bite-sized affection I am ancestor-built
to illuminate the love circling every definition,
my favorite translations are the ones
that must be accompanied by gestures,
like the teaspoon of honey that dribbles
on a scoop of thick cream,
the careful pinch of toasted barbari,
it’s the rush, I mean, of my hand
to your mouth, god forbid,
should a drop of sweet
fail
to make it
to your lips
Mehrnoosh Torbatnejad’s poetry has appeared in The Best American Poetry, Waxwing and Asian American Writers’ Workshop, among others. She won the 2019 LUMINA La Lengua contest and the 2016 Pinch Literary Prize, and is a Best of the Net, Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets nominee. She lives in New York where she practices law.
