11 Ways of Looking at Zucchini

I.
Zucchini strips green and greener
Fuzzy prickly starchy seeds

II.
Bees in yellow blossoms
Big as my hand
in July turn into zucchini

III.
Luscious, dark, intense
Chocolate cake,
Infused with 2 cups of
jade zucchini
Served to vegetable avoiding
step-mother
as dessert

IV.
Kitchens, hot as rusty August cars,
On the counters
Zucchini, tomatoes, basil, garlic
In the garden
Pumpkins wait for grey October
Mornings

V.
Cafés in Paris serve
Smoky ham and white cheese
On baguettes
or
Zucchini omelets
Sautéed with earthy mushrooms
And wine in brown clay pots

VI.
Two orange cats
Toy with the small mouse
Found in the dirt behind
The zucchini patch

VII.
You have thrown away
My brilliant love
The way a toddler
tosses
Zucchini
To the cold, linoleum floor

VIII.
She looked great,
Amazing, in fact
10 pounds lighter, easily.
“Zucchini” she replied
when asked,
what was her secret

IX. Men must feel weak
Near an unpicked
Zucchini

X.
Lock the doors,
roll up the car windows,
cross the street
Here comes the neighbor
With more bags of zucchini

XI.
The young people held hands
Milling through gardens
Of lavender, rosemary,
Stopping abruptly
At golden
Zucchini blossoms
Which he picked for her
took a petal and placed it
on her tongue