Ink and Grease
Everything good that I know
has been wisened with ink and grease
To the cook in me
nothing screams
“Come hither,
swirl me into the tongue of gods”
more than the sputtering sweat
of bayleaf and shallot
and to the writer
what could ease a fantasy to rest
than the voluptuous flesh
of fever-blistered words
filing past a mind’s cloudless mirth
I bask
in the luxury of being a bit of both
the way I’m summoned each time
branched
into a dichotomy of getaways
one
that folds me stiff
in cavities of my mama’s spice box
and the other
that fizzles me inside out
shods of bottled vibrations
rolling through my mouth
You’d find me deep-frying the crispiest elegies
when a feeling has been left unattended
like a backyard barbeque in the rain
But now if you’re coming to dinner
I’d try my best to entertain
with a riot of stews and sauces to the brim
All I ask for is a fair warning
and if we’ve agreed to meet at eight
I do hope you’ll show up fashionably late
Cos a behind-the-scenes artist
in a curried apron
over four burners lit
or in furrowed brows
jiving with a storm to write
Rest assured is hardly ever a pretty sight.
Notes: I’d been prompted by some of the gifted writers on this platform that I’ve had the pleasure to know. Cooking is my other passion so this was a pleasure to write. I still feel kind of new here so I’m going to refrain from tagging people but if you’ve come here, I’d love for you to hop along in this delightful prompt. Can’t ever go wrong with fantasy food, right? If you decide to participate, do tag me so I can have the pleasure of reading you.
Here are some of the responses to the Cooking prompt that I’ve really enjoyed:
By Paroma Sen
By Sneha Mankar
By Melissa Bee
Thank you for tagging me Somsubhra Banerjee and Ravyne Hawke in your sensational prompt responses. You can read them here:
Somsubhra’s poem:
Ravyne’s poem:
