Sambal Oelek

Sambal is hot sauce
from Indonesia. In India,
sambal is a double-sided drum.
Oelek means mortar and pestle, rough as Komodo hide
to grind your spices to a sensuous paste.
Chiles. Turmeric. Garlic and galanga.
Into the pan over smoldering embers.
Add tamarind, as brown as your lover’s eyes,
fish sauce, sweet chewy palm sugar.
More spices. More heat.
Your heart pounds like the two-headed drum.
Lick sweat from someone’s lip
while the sambal turns fragrant as your lover’s skin.
A dash of lime, green jealous eyes.
A last flourish of lemongrass powder from the oelek.
A hot sambal kiss.

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