All my sex stories always start off
with what we ate for dinner,
and of course, I remember that fancy
Dragon Roll in Phoenix, Arizona
that lit up on my birthday, and no,
I usually wouldn’t order something so Americanized,
but the damn thing lit up, a fire-breathing
dragon for a hungry Chinese girl at her birthday party,
and if you want fun, always add a little fire,
and my order’s usually fresh nigiri all the way,
and I’ve watched videos on how the California Roll
was invented, and it’s so Cali, so surf culture
with its avocado right in the middle, and I think it’s sad
that most versions don’t actually come
with crab meat, and I think about images of women
in the movies, letting their lovers eat sushi right off
their bodies, and I wonder if I would ever pull
such a stunt, and he tells me on the phone that he likes me
in red lipstick, which is a relief, because most men are afraid
of getting a little messy all over their cheeks
and bodies, but think about how endearing it is in cartoons
when Minnie is so excited to see Mickey that she gifts him
red kiss marks all over his cheeks, and you’ve got to admit
that everyone has a soft spot for that,
and instead of sushi all over my body,
I’d rather straight up feed my man some
fatty tuna, wash it down with cold sake,
spoil him a little, then take charge, then let him
take charge, back and forth, and for a good time,
call me, but I’m warning you: I’ll be talking
about the food rather than the sex,
because I’m such a tease,
and yes, I’ve been called that term a million times,
as if I owe anyone anything in this world,
and I remember the 4 AM French fries after
the midnight fishbowls full of Blue Curacao and assorted
alcohols and plastic animal toys, and here’s a tiger,
here’s a cow, here’s a dinosaur, meaning here’s
my father represented in the Chinese Zodiac,
ere’s a farm animal, and here’s prehistoric times,
in one toy, and do you ever wonder
what a prehistoric times restaurant
would be like, because we already have Medieval Times,
and who doesn’t love dinosaurs, and think about
those large plates and plates of turkey legs
or how about JELL-O eggs for dessert,
and I love a little childlike whimsy, and
I love saving hotel room keys for a little sentimental value, remembering
those afternoons spent in a dreamboat’s arms,
a couple of laughs, and I always laugh, remember
the room number, what happened in the elevator
on the way back, looking back, and it’s like when I collected
Happy Meal toys as a kid, and as a kid,
I loved the scene in The Phantom Tollbooth
when the characters deliver speeches
at dinner, listing their favorite foods,
only to be served those exact foods, and I always think
about what my lineup would be: lobster ravioli and Lobster Wellington
and Peking Duck and of course, loaded desserts with
lychee and longan and cherries and a couple slices of
grapefruit cake with grapefruit drizzle and poached pears
and peaches, and I told you that I’d rather talk
about the food than the sex, and let’s go around the subject,
because I’m a tease. I’m a tease. I’m a tease.
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