Spaghetti L'Amore

To every person
There is one true spaghetti

To some people
Spaghetti must be sweet
Like those served at children’s parties
Where little boys and girls meet
With tomato ketchup instead of tomato sauce
Smeared around the mouth

To others
Spaghetti must be salty
Like those at the American diners
Where teenage girls meet teenage boys
With meat sauce and meatballs
Staining their skirts and shirts

And still to other people
Spaghetti must be just a little bit sour
Like those at the five-star restaurants
Where the gentlemen date the ladies
And where we find traces of real tomatoes
Creating kiss-marks on the napkin

While to other people
Spaghetti must be pure Italian
Like those served in Milan and Roma
Where honeymooners stroll and old couples date
The aftertaste of Sicilian olives
Still fresh in their mouths

The true spaghetti is made
With a secret spice whose main ingredient
To this day
Remains a mystery