Chilli

Though my spell
Check refuses to
Recognize two "L”s
In chilli and much
Of our nation has
Been led into apostasy,
Texans know that real
Chilli has no beans.
The first time I found chilli,
Apologies to Gertrude Stein
And dear Alice B Toklas,
I was twelve at a Tex-Mex
Restaurant in San Antonio
I fell in gastronomic ecstasy
With Texas red hot chilli
With lots of comino onions
Some masa tomato sauce
Rotell tomatoes and cayenne
To perk up the various chilies.
Culinary heaven with rice
And some crispy bubbled
Tortilla chips and spicy salsa.
Some chilli rice salsa on a
Tortilla chip in one hand and
Ice tea with lots of limes in
The other is about as good
As it gets for fine Eatin’ in
The Texas Empire of the
Summer to Winter Moons.
Once you have had a bowl
Of Texas chilli you will always
Be a Texan wherever you live.
Rumors of adding beans, pineapple,
Potatoes and Gawd knows what
To chilli had better be false.
“Got chilli?” should be the
Texas State motto, again with
Apologies to milk, Mz. Stein
And dear Alice B Toklas,
Arroz is arroz is arroz.