How to Stuff an Eggplant (a poem)

From Modern Wife:  http://www.modernwife.com/library.htm

Wishbone,
Book of Poetry by Priscilla Lee

A fascinating, eclectic mix of tongue-in-check laughter and heartbreak, Wishbone is a reflection on life, at first seen through the eyes of a child forced to grow up before her time, and later, by a woman facing her past. These courageous poems chronicle the life of an Asian American woman at the crossroad of two cultures, transforming her conflicting experiences into self-acceptance, strength, and a wild, free, happiness.

76 pages (6 x 8)
Volume 5 in the California Poetry Series,
presented by Heyday Books and Poetry Flash
co-published with The Roundhouse Pres

How to Stuff an Eggplant

For once, forget Bongo's Burger Joint
& thank El Nino for the pulsing hillsides.
Go to the farmer's market & choose
a glossy eggplant, just-harvested,
that shimmers back at you.
At home, rub its purple skin with dark oil
carried up from a cool cellar.
Broil the eggplant inches from the heat.
Carefully scoop the spongy white flesh,
leaving walls thick enough to hold.
Fill the hollow with walnuts, tangy feta,
& pomegranate seeds. Pack a basket.
Walk slowly along a trail winding
through wildflowers, a riot of color
down to the beach. Don't hurry.
Scatter the fat sparrows as you shake out
your picnic cloth stained with grass
from last summer. Place the eggplant,
warm & full, in the curve
of your lover's palm. Watch him
savor the soft succulent meat.
Dig your toes into the sand.
Let the mingled juices drip
onto the blanket while he nibbles.