Tapas

We ask for patatas bravas, buñuelos 
de bacalao; manchego cheese and honey.
We ask for jamon serrano,  champiñones 
al ajillo, pan con tomate. Small plates, easy 
to finish when shared with friends. Rhetorical
question: why do I find the foods of my first 
colonizer delicious? Ordinary fare: steamed
swamp spinach, fried scad, rice. Delicious,
especially eaten without silverware, but not 
served to guests or at parties. Our tongues, 
taught to swerve from the language of our 
origins. Taught to soften the trills 
that might remind us of birds.