It is difficult to offer up

our hearts
like raw chicken on a hibachi
grill
often
the chefs are not delicate
at first they try to show off
impressing with their clever
knife juggling
and sweet chopping
moves
Darling this is not a minute waltz
it is a break dance in a hot
room
the stakes are high
and sometimes the reward is
winning a dance off
sometimes satisfaction comes
in letting someone else
have the last piece of chicken
or cake
the sizzle a grill makes when
it kisses sweet peppers
and shallots
it’s the sort of thing we all
long for
the sort of love we are afraid
to lose
or to let loose
upon the world.