Jean Neuhaus had an apothecary store in Brussels.
He started covering medicines with chocolate, to make it more palatable.
His grandson replaced the medicine with praline.
“a spoonful of sugar”
February 14th, red letter day hovers
for partners, couple, newly acquainted lovers
and those who just want to feel discovered
to be more than what may be yet uncovered.
For that special day so venerable
the flower shops are busy, quite incredible
and chocolatiers making a profit with sweet edibles
and love songs reaching higher decibels.
The walk, the stroll, the ritualistic gamation
find easy play and participation
as St. Valentine's day sweeps the nation
in open displays of affectionate elation.
We are hanging hams, are we
in cellars off the coastal sea
licked by Mediterranean breeze
or foot-smashed grapes in Tuscany
afloat in oaken barrels, we
as flavors gain complexity.
Everyone is clever, everyone is bright
We are salt and we are light
We're the craft of chocolatiers
(from Switzerland with warm
hands on cold mountaintops.)
We are slowly sipped espresso. We are chopped mint.
We indeed are crème brûlée
formed by hand like potter's clay.
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