A sense of humor will aid in the appreciation of our literary food feature. Dear friends presented me with a copy of Haiku-Sine: 217 Tiny Food Poems by Texans Who Love to Eat & Feed Their Heads (Lazywood Press, paper), a delightful collection of culinary haiku culled from three years of entries in a poetry contest sponsored by Houston's My Table Dining Guide, the ultimate word in what's happening in the Bayou City restaurant scene. In 1997, My Table suggested that hungry Houston poets submit haiku, the Japanese poetic form of 17 syllables in three lines, with a food theme. The magazine promised to publish the winners and award them with a free meal in a local Japanese restaurant. The response was so overwhelming that the contest is now an annual event, and My Table publisher Theresa Byrne-Dodge and senior editor Micki McClelland chose the best for inclusion in this charming little book. With their kind permission, we've decided to share the sexiest. If reading them to your significant other entices you to cook something wonderful and have great sex, you can thank us later. If reading them encourages you to write poetry, send submissions to Lazywood Press, 9337-B Katy Freeway, #271, Houston, TX, 77024.

If you love someone

Hold the sugar and flour,

Try kisses instead.

Joan Ifland Johnson, Houston

Tender artichoke

Reveals its succulent heart

to prying fingers.

Georgia Terrell, Houston

Pop open pea pods

Set free some plump round voyeurs --

Peeping toms in green.

Jane Butkin Roth, Bellaire

Lingering over

Dinner, two old friends become

Lovers entangled.

Bill Stephens, San Antonio

Mole chocolate

Melting spicy -- ancient kiss,

Mayan reminisce.

Erica Hernandez, Houston

Symbol of teachers

The repellent of doctors,

The red fruit of sin.

Roatha Chap, Houston

Best I ever had

Said the man to his new bride,

Tasting her cooking.

Charlene Turner, Houston

Love on the half shell:

Eighteen ways to tickle luck,

A night of romance.

Perry Anderson, Houston

The artichoke whole

Hides tender heart under pricks.

In my bed, the same.

Micki McClelland, Houston

Food for the body

So tempting to the spirit.

The table is set.

Tom Farrar, Houston

That first night you said

Breadcrumbs clung to my black shirt

Like stars for our sky.

Jane Butkin Roth, Bellaire

Flavor symphony

Best shared with friends and lovers,

Touching tongues and hearts.

Charlene Turner

Red hot cherry pie --

Your juices flow all over.

I want to eat you.

Chris Dauterive, Houston

To motivate me,

He will watch my kitchen work.

Oh my love, eggs on.

Micki McClelland

First time that we kiss,

My own sweet peaches and cream,

Magnificent dream.

Claudia Vu, Houston

The kitchen is his

For creating her dinner --

Eaten together.

Carol Lee, Houston

Boyfriends and brownies,

Two things that never last long.

I eat them both up.

Nancy Sarnoff, Houston

Grab salsa and cheese

In queso emergency.

Come on, light my fire.

David Henry, Bellaire

I smell your garden

Simmering in my soup bowl.

I taste your passion.

L.Z.Martini, Houston