Basil
Glow-soaked leaves,
Like boats, they bow,
pure green and pillowy,
cupping the rain in their
upside-down bumps.
Plucked for the sauce, the soy
or mate tomato,
their scent is soft until
knifed in fine ribbons
Under tooth its savor slightly cinnamon,
the perfume of roses and geranium.
The whiff, bright coriander,
the candy of tarragon,
its oils tinged citronella,
thick laurel and pine.
Such a puzzle, in simple leaves,
the intricate chemistry
of edible land.
genius