Abecedarian September (or Better Than Carrots)
Ate so many zucchini this summer – my garden was almost
Bursting with the glut of great, green
Canoes, yes, that huge, and (my fault) largely forgotten in the shade of their
Dark leaves, prickled, palmate,
Enormous enough to conceal the
Fat vegetal weight until I stooped and saw and
Gathered them guiltily in, my kitchen counter
Heaped with these waiting torpedoes, waiting for
Ideas of
Just what I would make. Then when
Knived to coins, to cubes, to ribbons, my zucchini
Loved garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, kissed citrus,
Married well with rosemary for remembrance,
Never said no to tomatoes.
Only there were so many and only so many
Plans for dinners, inspiration, answers to the
Question: what next? Oh yes, growing zucchini
Requires commitment in hot summers but now
September and the plant is spent.
Time for other loves.
Unearthed carrots and beets, leafy kale, cabbage,
Various other things I’d planted and forgotten.
Why do I do this?
X mark my heart to the point of exhaustion, forgetting
Your favourite recipe is best in November anyway:
Zucchini, grated and frozen, to stir into incongruous chocolate cake.
Wonderful. I think that after a nuclear winter the survivors will be cockroaches and zucchinis.