THIS POEM IS A LEGACY OF FOOD

THIS POEM IS A LEGACY OF FOOD

This poem is my mother

carrying a bowl of cut fruit to my room

instead of apologizing.

This poem is my father

pushing a plate of samosas to me

after an argument.

This poem is my grandmother

baking a chocolate walnut cakes

after my mother and she have had a fight.

This poem is my grandfather

putting freshly washed strawberries

at my father's door instead of saying sorry.

This poem is both

soft and angry,

sweet and savoury.

You will smell the spices

made of something unlanguageable

and say 'thank you'.

@Nikita Gill from These are the Words. Fearless Verse to Find Your Voice, MacMillan 2022