Food lovers — Summary

Dave BontaCheerful

This is the way to my lady’s bed: a pasty full of fat, the moon in my hands.

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In just a few lines, the speaker lays out a map to his lover's bed, and the route turns out to be food. He arrives carrying a pasty full of fat, something rich, greasy and earthy, and the moon, which he holds in his hands as if it were just as easy to carry. The poem seems to treat appetite for food and desire for a person as the same hunger.

What makes it charming is the mix of the humble and the grand. A fatty pasty is ordinary, even a bit messy, while the moon is the stuff of old love poems. Putting them side by side, the speaker suggests that real intimacy doesn't need polish. The moon might also be a round, pale thing he's eating or offering, so the image stays playful and a little ambiguous.

The mood is warm, cheeky and sensual. The short lines slow you down, like small bites, and the title, "Food lovers," winks at the whole idea.

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