I said “bite into the onion!”
Only because of a memory of
sitting at some stranger’s apartment
feeling hungry:
The countertop was an aqua shade of blue
But not the good kind of blue that
reminds me of Caribbean waters
It was dirtied with specks of black and green
a form of modernism that some
person imagined ideal for eating
I was analyzing the marble
only inches from my face
Instead of focusing on the objects
and shapes alive and breathing, those
dancing around in their frenzied confusion
There was a chef of sorts, making his
claim to fame from the hours spent
grilling at one of the downtown bars
He was watching me and I only
realized because he told me and
I looked up, saw his affront
Staring intently, as if he were challenging
to inspire embarrassment with a shade of
question, for me to offer an explanation
Or, maybe both…people always
tend to think more thoughts than
what seems plausible;
An apparent stereotype of my own
relating on close mindedness that only first
glances can conceive
His stature was clear
The game was on, without both
players realizing when it had started
A chess match apparently already won, seeing his
daggers slice and tear through the
layers of vulnerabilities on the surface
Wearing his best victory grin, he
came closer thinking the game was
over as he thought about his checkmate
King riding Queen in complete
dominance
All of the while keeping his hands busy
pretending to cook something and
almost abandoning his own disguise
to celebrate his achievement
Peeling back the first few layers
of the onion, slowly and methodically
More interested in appearances
than anything substantially filling
That was the story, the tale in my mind
When I tried to explain myself to a
different person later on in life
As if I could relate the feelings and emotions
of one moment and transpire it
into the next
“Bite into the Onion!” was met
with distracted thickness and
judgment of appropriate responses
A different chess game, perhaps
With no victors or losers to give
attention
Only me and my bad breath
with the pieces laid out on the table
