Ode to Bacon (with recording)

Posted on by

 

This is a celebratory post. Yesterday I cooked bacon, and it smelled like, well BACON! And it tasted like bacon, too. One of the side effects of COVID-19 is parosmia (a distorted sense of smell/taste), and both Stephanie and I have suffered from it since July. We’ve been unable to tolerate such staples as onion, peppers (bell and chile), garlic, dark chocolate, sparkling wine, peanut butter, grilled/charred and cured meats of all kinds, celery, arugula, and assorted other beloved foods. But yesterday’s breakfast of migas tacos with bacon clearly indicates that we are improving. Finally!

 

Ode to Bacon

How you lend
yourself
to others,

enhancing even
the sweetest fig
in your embrace
over coals,

or consider
your rendered
self, how it

deepens flavor
with piggish
essence, coating

or absorbed,
blended or
sopped. O belly
of delight, o wonder
of tongues,

how could I not
love you
and your infinite
charms, even

when you resist
my efforts and
shoot sizzling bits

of yourself
onto my naked
hands? I pay

this toll
gladly,
today and

next year
and all those
days to follow,

till the last piece
is swallowed
and our sun
goes dark.

Hyperbole
becomes you,
smoked beauty,
salted love,

and I shall never
put you down
or leave you
behind

on a plate
to be discarded
or forgotten,

unloved.

“Ode to Bacon” first appeared here in July 2017, thanks to T.S. Wright’s challenge.

25 thoughts on “Ode to Bacon (with recording)”

    • It’s been strange. I’ve had to adjust my cooking — no onion, garlic or peppers in anything, and peppers have played a large role in our food; I cook a lot of southwestern and Asian dishes, which often call for peppers. Fresh ginger is still out, too, though powdered ginger can be used in small portions. I can’t walk by the onion selection in a grocery store without gagging. But we’re able to eat most meats again, including our beloved bacon. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  3. Yes, I heard and smelled it. Unfortunately I dare not eat it.
    Hope you are recovering from this giant of a virus.
    You certainly haven’t lost your taste for writing poetry.
    I’m staring at a bunch of soggy Cheerios by my computer. It surely is worthy of a line or two of praise. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  5. Scrumptious poem — I love it!
    Glad things are improving for you and your wife, Robert. Just yesterday I was thinking of you, as for the first time in 7 months the applesauce I was eating suddenly tasted like apples again. And salmon tasted like salmon! Not as exciting as bacon 😄 but a sign that our senses of smell and taste are not permanently damaged by covid-19. Hope it continues to improve for all of us who were affected.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  8. Pingback: Ode to Cherrios – Perhaps | ladysighs

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.