Cabbage

Cabbage

a leafy heart,

beating with layers of cardium

in tight formation

Perfectly structured, /growing in the back of Caribbean lives

blood pumping all around them, /a sight that many of them/ cannot stand

The epicardium, /dark green or red,

Cut through to the ventricles, 

lighter and lighter they become /as though it was lightened from the sun.

Eat it cooked in steamy soup joumou and legium,

or raw, crunch crunch, in juicy pikliz

I remember/ Mom shredding it, /long and thin,

and the feeling of anticipation

as they spurt through the land.

Appears like coleslaw, 

Caribbean and better,

the liquid personality loved by all

and used in many savory ways.

Can’t recall the first time 

but at every big party, it was there.

belonging on the wooden surface,

fulfilling its purpose /of keeping the love alive,

Lub Dub, lub dub,

surrounded and protected /by the organs of love.

Bells chiming /through the evening /a hint of orange reflected from above,

drenched  in vinegar and lime juice

Flooded with flavor and heat/ throughout the body.

Hmm…

the flavor, 

visible and clear /as blood is red.

The best part

when it flows for eternity

absorbing the nutrient culture

everlasting for many generations,

nurturing the curious children.

You beat alone like a coleslaw, 

but better, 

or anything else that fits well

Some prefer green for salads,

some prefer red to add color.

Either way,

raw in coleslaw or salad,

cooked in soup or stew

you enhance the flavor in every dish

Cherished and love

Without you,/ all would be lost and dead 

If you’re gone,

a transplant is needed

and an army would search for you among your counterparts

Keep beating, leafy heart