Sara Borjas
Instructions for Tasting Spirits
establish a purpose for tasting this
will mostly be for application a sea-
sonal cocktail or modernized classic
modify elevate what already exists
know exactly what you want how can you
best use a spirit an energy that funk of some
rum or armangac attitude because like
them you may still have another mouth
on you a history of Scandanavian rice grain
a mother too quiet men on horses lips
turning themselves inside out like turning
jump rope or shame trailing you as you cut
a field of canes be open tasting is about
connection personal experiences say
Danielle Steele novel between mother’s daily
fingers barn burning with Lagavulin in
your mouth kick a soccer ball mother is
thin in that dream Wednesday she comes home
from work acknowledge the bent steel behind
your teeth the smell of a house uncooked
how smell does not correlate to the linger
of sour plum or tamales find useful & meaning-
ful words to describe each spirit that mood
when you did not know or just be
comfortable with memory and instability
how your mind organizes scraps into past
and what you would give for your life
to be as simple as it was then in the closed
afternoons at the long green field where
you cried for no one but yourself you
had control not yet knowing everything
you did or said wonderful
and your mother stayed because she wanted to
and you wrote proud without it turning to dust
tasting is about emotion an honest enlivening
of what cannot be otherwise
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