Perhaps I will relish the thought of your pain

displayed before me, awaiting my consumption.

Just a nibble here and there will I partake,

accompanied with a sip of the wine of justice.

It is not a meal I will linger over, nor will I devour

each morsel until I am sated, overfed with redemption.

I will only swirl a bit of its taste on my tongue

swallow it slowly, until the burn of it hits my belly.

Then I shall push away from the table of past lives

and leave my chair to those gourmands of self-pity.

The new recipe I have discovered tastes surprisingly sweet

as it satisfies my senses, my psyche and my heart.

Life tastes good, seasoned with experience;

bitterness cooked away with the slow simmer of satisfaction.

Yes, perhaps I will relish a taste of your suffering,

but I have other dishes awaiting me –

-- and a hunger to savor all the courses that await.