crimson, ink, chocolate

brush in deep
red acrylic paint,
no, better, oil,
a natural substance,
then, slapping the canvas,
marking, defacing, violent.

light strokes and dark,
ink in a pen,
no, better, a well,
the nib dipping and rising
then, pen touching paper,
delicate, quick, deft.

heating sugar, butter, cacao,
on an electric,
no, a gas stove, a flame
growing and dancing,
it licks the pot's copper edges,
sluicing, tempering, sweet
brittle stuff. he
and she. they jostle
one another, laugh now
and then, don't talk
about their work.

breathe in deep,
smile, sigh. here,
they meet.