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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…” quote by Carolyn Kizer
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““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. ””

Carolyn Kizer

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.

Key Takeaway

Recognize love’s power and its risks.

Themes

love destruction transformation

Mood

intense poetic dark

Type

poetry metaphorical

When to use this quote

  • relationships
  • creative writing
  • psychology

Key Concepts

metaphor nature imagery passion

Questions to Reflect On

  • What boundaries protect you in love?
  • How does love change your identity?
A Different Perspective

Love’s intensity may lead to loss of self.

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