“Teaching the Dog Not to Nip”
by Jim Moore

Do you think it’s easy,
not biting
the one you love?
Try loving someone so much
your mouth is only at home
in the place where your teeth
meet the flesh
of your beloved. Try
not tasting the flesh, not taking in your mouth
the beloved, not
going all the way.

To be full
Of soup
Cooked
By a friend.

∆ Alice Walker, "No Better Life." Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth