Chili

I
handed
the
world
to
her
like a hot bowl of chili?


She
handed
it
back
to
me
like a hot bowl of chili con carne!


I said, "Chili is chili."


"No, it's not," she said,
as if I was supposed
to add
meat
to the metaphor
I had given her
concerning
the
world.


I went on
to ask her
if she was thinking 
of the country
Chile--
a country
of southwest
South America
with a long coastline?

Or,

was she thinking
about chili--
a highly spiced dish
made from red peppers,
meat, and often beans?


She said, "yes."
From that moment on
I decided it was best
to always
hand
her
the
world
as if it were 
a world like a just a bowl.
This way
she can now
add anything she wants.