Red Beans A poem by Victor Hernández Cruz Next to white rice it looks like coral sitting next to snow Hills of starch border The burnt sienna of irony Azusenas being chased by the terra cotta feathers of a rooster There is a lava flow through the smoking white mounds India red spills on ivory Ochre cannon balls falling next to blanc pebbles Red beans and milk make burgundy wine Violet pouring from the eggshell tinge of the plate.

“Red Beans” is used by permission from *Maraca: New and Selected Poems, 1965-2000* (Coffee House Press, 2001). Copyright © 2001 by Victor Hernández Cruz.

(Our stunning bean model is Domingo Rojo!)