Warm-blooded animal brought to the cold—
A snow-soaked Boston so unlike January in my hometown
But new, too, is this warmth,
Our foreheads tight together by the kitchen table—

You,
Once so far away, now
Having crossed the continent,
The shy season of flirting,
Even the shame, the fear of soft rejection,
Here you stand 
Washing the dishes in my frigid dorm kitchen;

The scene leaves a sweet taste in my mouth
Even more so than the bites 
Of rainbow-sprinkled 
Ice 
Cream
That we shared, really more like
The weight of 

“Crema de Mariscos” stumbling
Erred, between your lips
The promise, open
Pathway to your heart—
If only my skills 
And Aui‘s recipes
Will suffice.