It Sizzles On My Tongue

The taste of my sweetheart

The memory of a good meal
Good music, great art
The success of a sweet deal

Hot melting cheese, popping candy
A handful of berries, a glass of warm brandy
A beautiful song sung
It all sizzles on my tongue.

Blueberry cheesecakes and apple strudels
The Thai bird chilies and the mind fucking Korean Geki Noodles

A plate of tamarind rice and spicy Andhra mutton fry
A cube of ice after the Bhoot Jholokias that make you cry

The 30 feet tract inside of me is wrung
And it all starts with the sizzle on my tongue.

That word-
I know what it means, how it tastes, even what it is—it is absurd.

That name-
I know who they are, where we’ve meet, the past we shared—it is now a guessing game.

I know I will remember them somehow

But it escapes me now.
Is it because I am no longer young?
Whatever it is, for now they sizzle on my tongue.

A ball of black smog
As I step on the tarmac it settles in my lung
The eyes clog
The bad, bad, bad air sizzles on my tongue.

The urge to give a piece of my mind
To someone who is plain stupid and unkind
To give facts and figures to old and young
I hold back but it sizzles on my tongue.

Salty, bitter, sour, savoury, and sweet
Sun, moon, rain, cold, and the heat
Humour, joy, wit, sadness, and grief are among
all those other things, that sizzle on my tongue.