Ode To The Artichoke

The artichoke With a tender heart Dressed up like a warrior,

Standing at attention, it built A small helmet Under its scales It remained Unshakeable,

By its side The crazy vegetables Uncurled Their tendrills and leaf-crowns,

Throbbing bulbs,

In the sub-soil The carrot With its red mustaches Was sleeping,

The grapevine Hung out to dry its branches Through which the wine will rise,

The cabbage Dedicated itself To trying on skirts,

The oregano To perfuming the world,

And the sweet Artichoke There in the garden,

Dressed like a warrior,

Burnished Like a proud Pomegrante.

And one day Side by side In big wicker baskets Walking through the market To realize their dream The artichoke army In formation.

Never was it so military Like on parade.

The men In their white shirts Among the vegetables Were The Marshals Of the artichokes Lines in close order Command voices,

And the bang Of a falling box.

But Then Maria Comes With her basket She chooses An artichoke,

She's not afraid of it.

She examines it, she observes it Up against the light like it was an egg,

She buys it,

She mixes it up In her handbag With a pair of shoes With a cabbage head and a Bottle Of vinegar Until She enters the kitchen And submerges it in a pot.

Thus ends In peace This career Of the armed vegetable Which is called an artichoke,

Then Scale by scale,

We strip off The delicacy And eat The peaceful mush Of its green heart.