Hot Tomato Oil

When I was considering poetic possibilities for Pastabilities, I decided to use the haiku form and included wordplay with both sound and meaning. Having dined at Pastabilities several times with my family, I drew my poetic inspiration from the fiery, flavorful appetizer that created a standout first impression on our initial visit – “Hot Tom and Stretch Bread.” It set the tone for that first meal, and it is what keeps drawing us back.

As a high school English teacher, I’ve used the Syracuse Poster Project as a way to help teach poetry writing. I composed this haiku alongside my students in my Honors English class. Several of my students also submitted entries paying poetic tributes to several of Syracuse’s iconic businesses, and we all celebrated that my poem was among those selected by having a poetry reading party, which featured “Hot Tom” sauce and bread as the main snack.