No Photosynthesis Occurs

by Patricia Williams

I remember eating white asparagus
at a sidewalk café
in the shadow of Cologne Cathedral      
on an amiable day in June.

This seasonal ivory treat,
topped with sun-colored hollandaise sauce,
tastes best in the company of friends,
with glasses of pale German wine.

Recipe:
To cultivate white asparagus,
bury the shoots in dirt as they grow,
allow no exposure to sunlight.
Use this same process to produce
sterile, non-permeable minds.