For far too long I’ve listened in silence
to those espousing Kalamata supremacy,
(which, admittedly, I wholeheartedly concede),
or to others vaunting the virtues of Castelvetrano,
(God help those misguided dupes); I’ve patiently endured
insufferable disquisitions on the buttery flavor
of Cerignola, the tartness of Picholine,
the meaty richness of Gordal, most beloved
as a tapa beside slivered jamon and a glass of sherry.
With unbridled lust have I gazed at jet-black Nyon,
plump and wrinkly, dry-cured then aged in brine,
and I hereby confess that where my eye wandered,
alas, my faithless fingers soon followed.
Granted, I’ve nibbled my share of Nicoise tapenade
and reveled with abandon in its herbal fragrance graced
with faint notes of licorice; its petite counterpart
across the Alps, the Liguria, cannot withstand
comparison (very sorry, but my decision is final).
My palate has also thrilled at the tart, citrussy taste
of Gaeta, whose tender flesh enlivens the tongue;
I’ve swooned whilst savoring the sour bittterness
of Alfonso, supple after maceration in red wine.
Naturally, I’ve had my way with many a Manzanilla,
almondy ovals pitted then stuffed with pimiento
or else cracked and dressed with fresh garlic.
Full disclosure: I whored through handfuls of the rare
Beldi, sumptuous as a tagine garnish, and like a glutton
gorged myself on more Amfissa samples from the hills
by Delphi than the local oracles surely ever did.
And yet, for all my shameless promiscuity, I refuse
to avert my view from the grassy Mission variety,
oft overlooked and neglected by lesser connoisseurs,
but not by me, not this time, so once and for all let me
set the record straight, for in truth, I must insist,
black olives matter.
Brandon Marlon is a writer from Ottawa, Canada. He received his B.A. in Drama & English from the University of Toronto and his M.A. in English from the University of Victoria. His poetry was awarded the Harry Hoyt Lacey Prize in Poetry (Fall 2015), and his writing has been published in 300+ publications in 32 countries. www.brandonmarlon.com
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