I remembered this short story, more comically but with a pointed criticality.
No, I’ve never personally used them (never needed to, thank you very much). But I know that every fetish priest in every village sells them. The potions are made according to a recipe passed down from an unidentified ancestor, with a list of ingredients that we mere mortals are not allowed to know. The fetish priests all store their potions in similar-looking white bottles, and charge the same ludicrous fee to those who come to buy them—a goat, a pig, and three hens. But who has that kind of wealth to spare for the sake of love? Do you? I didn’t think so. That is why I’m going to give you invaluable directions on how to obtain a love potion for free and get yourself a romance that will leave your face brighter than the morning sun.
The Case for and Against Love Potions, Imbolo Mbue, March 15, 2021.
The rose is the beloved, the beloved is a destination, and the human lover a little like a bee pursues and celebrates this … at the center of [their] walled garden.
RS