Origin of Spice

[brynmawr1]

Something primitive,
necessary, about eating
chilli pepper

jalapeños, Serranos
touching tongues,
other parts—

makes you want to tear
clothes, run naked through
rows-and-rows of October corn

Hi 71,

What I get from you nice poem is that part of life, living, compels us to do things that are against our best interests, like eat things that make our mouths burn and our eyes water or run naked through slashing corn.  Where is breaks down, for me a bit, is 'makes' which suggests a causation that might be harder to justify and not necessary for what I see as the underlying theme, as they are really two sides of the same coin.  I agree, 'other parts' is too vague and I like Mark's suggestion to use other body parts, eg burning lips or parted lips...etc.  For the title maybe "Spice of Life" (cliche) but you get the idea.
I enjoyed the poem as written.  Just some thoughts.
take care,
bryn