Eating Quote by Carolyn Kizer
““Food of Love Eating is touch carried to the bitter end. -Samuel Butler II I'm going to murder you with love; I'm going to suffocate you with embraces; I'm going to hug you, bone by bone, Till you're dead all over. Then I will dine on your delectable marrow. You will become my personal Sahara; I'll sun myself in you, then with one swallow Drain you remaining brackish well. With my female blade I'll carve my name In your most aspiring palm Before I chop it down. Then I'll inhale your last oasis whole. But in the total desert you become You'll see me stretch, horizon to horizon, Opulent mirage! Wisteria balconies dripping cyclamen. Vistas ablaze with crystal, laced in gold. So you will summon each dry grain of sand And move towards me in undulating dunes Till you arrive at sudden ultramarine: A Mediterranean to stroke your dusty shores; Obstinate verdue, creeping inland, fast renudes Your barrens; succulents spring up everywhere, Surprising life! And I will be that green. When you are fed and watered, flourishing With shoots entwining trellis, dome and spire, Till you are resurrected field in bloom, I will devour you, my natural food, My host, my final supper on the earth, And you'll begin to die again. ””
About This Quote
Source Poem: “Food of Love Eating” by Carolyn Kizer, 1975
The poem uses vivid, violent imagery to depict love as an all‑consuming, transformative force that both nurtures and destroys.
In simple terms: Love can be both nourishing and destructive.
Recognize love’s power and its risks.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- relationships
- creative writing
- psychology
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What boundaries protect you in love?
- How does love change your identity?
Love’s intensity may lead to loss of self.