unbound, he is his own person, with hiccups
growing fast and fathomless into bibs, called
neckerchiefs too, each of a different shape or
size, soaks the spills of indulgence, scatters in
crumbs or drops from a straw of banana goo
lands on a serviette saying, “I am a blessing”
egg yolk stains combined with mango shake
a ravenous dribble camouflaged in sunlight
each shade as stubborn as haldi root sworn
for its potent properties, proven to be just
the right antidote to exhaustion; ayurvedic
aunt as opinionated as his refusal of bottle
and aversion to mashed dal, a slurpy mess
of a fountain, there is long windedness to
mealtimes, a mosaic aftermath on the floor
a scrabble of all things baby; not too pretty
herbarium of flavors, handprints on doors
threaded into soft tresses is pure coconut
oil and strings of pureed squash, splashed
across our faces, emblem of healthy habits
the custard walls are a collage of loveliness
texture is how food feels to virgin papillae
accepting or rejecting peas, carrots, grainy
or watery or crunchy, sticky like forbidden
honey, an inexhaustible potluck of senses
even humble oatmeal laced with cinnamon
story time
mashed residue
of heartbreak
When Kashiana Singh is not writing, she lives to embody her TEDx talk theme of Work as Worship into her every day. Her second full-length collection, Woman by the Door was released in 2022 with Apprentice House Press and her newest full-length collection, Witching Hour is coming out in 2024 with Glass Lyre Press. She lives in North Carolina and proudly serves as Managing Editor for Poets Reading the News.
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