Sweet or Savory?

I always thought I was sweet, but lately I’m wondering if I’m more savory. We are ultimately all complex in temperament and taste so not singular in any one direction, but I’m talking about my basic, fundamental, flavor.

I’d be insincere if I said I was never bitter or sour. For sure there are times when I’m feeling particularly astringent and have a bite, but those are just fleeting moments. I’m genuine in my forgiveness and much prefer to let it go.

I admire those of you that live life to it’s spicy fullest. You bring a touch of heat to all of us and it’s fun and thrilling. But that’s not me. Oh, I love some heat culinarily, but my hypothesis is that I’m using spice in my diet in compensation for my relatively mild profile.

I’ve been known to be a bit salty. My editor a.k.a. mom once suggested I might want to tone down all the cussing in my writing. If I was truly salty I would have told her off, but I didn’t. I thoughtfully considered her point. The why behind her suggestion. I’ll still get salty at times, but a little bit of salt goes a long way. No need to be heavy handed with it.

Which brings us to sweet. This is definitely my comfort zone. Not candy sweet. But that kind of sticky pastry sweet that melts in your mouth and goes directly to your ass sweet (peppering in some salt just for fun here). This is my “goto” both when needing to be comforted and wanting to comfort. There is something warm and delicious about a sweet moment with a loved one.

But lately I’m feeling my true center is more savory than pure sweet. Like a stuffed french toast with a smokey cheese center. Wonderfully sweet on the outside, but offering something more interesting and multi-dimensional on the inside. A bit of umami. Tickling the taste buds with nuanced curiosity. Pleasant but unpredictable. Sometimes paired with a touch of heat, a pinch of salt, or even some sours or bitters.

I’m not sure but I think this is the result of aging well. Not exactly fermented. Perhaps cured? I’m not sure, but on the whole I like my new flavor.

Be well,

Monty

• It’s Complicated (2025 NaPoWriMo #5)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! It’s complicated – click link and see prompt for April 5th. I followed the prompt loosely. napowrimo.net It’s Complicated BreakingContinue reading “It’s Complicated (2025 NaPoWriMo #5)”
• Drawn (2025 NaPoWriMo #4)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem about living with a piece of art. napowrimo.net Drawn He drew me with everlasting lovingkindness,The only loveContinue reading “Drawn (2025 NaPoWriMo #4)”
• Licensed to Poet (2025 NaPoWriMo #3)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem that obliquely explains why you are a poet and not some other kind of artist napowrimo.net LicensedContinue reading “Licensed to Poet (2025 NaPoWriMo #3)”
• Dear Me (2025 NaPoWriMo #2)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Write a poem that directly addresses someone, and that includes a made-up word, an odd/unusual simile, a statement of “fact,”Continue reading “Dear Me (2025 NaPoWriMo #2)”
• Moto (2025 NaPoWriMo #1)
  I’m celebrating National Poetry Month! Today, we challenge you to take inspiration from this glossary of musical terms, or this glossary of art terminology, and write aContinue reading “Moto (2025 NaPoWriMo #1)”
• The Portrait (2025 NaPoWriMo #0)
  I’m a bit late, but that is not going to stop me from celebrating National Poetry Month! Pen a portrait poem of your own. ItContinue reading “The Portrait (2025 NaPoWriMo #0)”
• Adding My Light to the Sum of the Light
  Be well, Monty
• As Time Dances Along
  East bleeds west,As time dances along,Urging the day forward. Be well, Monty
• Sitting in the Dark
  The lights burnt out,Darkness cast across a nation broken,Lit only by fiery wrath and ire,Graffiti hate betraying fear,He watches from his Oval Office,Admiring the powerContinue reading “Sitting in the Dark”
• I’ll Be Ok
  I fell down, hard. First tripped up by my own feet, I’d lost my balance. Then they saw their chance and pushed me. Slammed meContinue reading “I’ll Be Ok”
• Burning Slow
  I’m slow to anger, how biblical of me! But the truth is I burn low and slow and resentfully. You won’t catch me shouting loud.Continue reading “Burning Slow”
• Re-reading Monty
  They claim to be my words, but I’ve no memory;They seem too deep, too wise, beyond me,Yet there they are, on the page,With a typoContinue reading “Re-reading Monty”
• An Act of Love
  She ripped a page out of my book, literally.Tore the page right out of it,Transforming words undercover into an act of love,A passionate invitation toContinue reading “An Act of Love”
• Textures
  Be well, Monty
• Psych 101
  A mystery, a silent roar,Boiled down to an atmospheric essence,Unlimited in a formless dress;The girl from Baylor Hall. Be well, Monty
• Boing!
  Be well, Monty
• Another Absurdity
  Up the bean-stalk he climbed,Exposed arse whistling in the wind(the score to some old sitcom frombefore all the screens turned blue),He was compensating for theContinue reading “Another Absurdity”
• Explicit Absurdity
  Hydrogen uppers gaslight me into obsolescence,Escaping gravity, wound-up, and ready to bounceAn engineer’s failed experiment in abstinence,A human bot,Go ahead and tariff me – what’sContinue reading “Explicit Absurdity”
• Poof!
  Be well, Monty
• The Dancer
  Be well, Monty
• A “Selfie” Portrait
  Be well, Monty
• And There it Was
  A simple request. An ask to take the decision out of my hands. To be open to receive. That’s all it took. It wasn’t longContinue reading “And There it Was”
• A Return to Patterns
  Be well, Monty
• Poetry in Motion
  Be well, Monty
• A Simple Joy
  The citrus spritz bloomed,Awakening my senses,A simple, wondrous joy,The sweet scent from a bitter rind,Perhaps a lesson there. Be well, Monty
• A Life Being Lived
  I’ve been retracing my steps all morning. Not deep into the past, but shallow moves forward followed by equal measures backward. Stuck in a reciprocatingContinue reading “A Life Being Lived”
• The Visitor
  He chatters away downstairs, the sound carrying upward as he tells a story in a rush, interrupted only by the laughter of a captive audienceContinue reading “The Visitor”
• Seasons of the Sun
  Be well, Monty
• A Gray Day
  Finally a gray day,All those expansive bluesWere wearing me down,As if compelling me to good humor,Trying to get me to forget it’s still mid-winter. WellContinue reading “A Gray Day”
• An Evening’s Inventory
  The dog lays flat out as if to emphasize the basis of the saying “dog-tired”. The TV chatters in Chinese in the background, almost quietContinue reading “An Evening’s Inventory”
• Firework Extractions
  Be well, Monty