The
Rice Cake Trilogy
1. OF
GIFTS AND BLESSINGS
Such
a sober sari in blue and cream checks
Handwoven
from Cooptex, my favourite kind
I
want to gift it to you for Easter, my friend !
Will
you wear it , or generous as always,
Gift
it away ?
Such
a beautiful sari , fawn, with maroon bootis,
And
lavender stripes woven into the border
A
pretty pallu, and matching blouse too !
I
want to gift it to you for your birthday , dear friend !
Will
you wear it , I wonder ? I won’t mind at all
Even
if you regift it
With
love !
These
tokens of love and respect
This
idea of keeping traditional handicrafts alive
So
deeply ingrained in us ! How they comfort us
When
the world seems to be falling apart !
Forget
the heartache. I made you some idli rice cakes
With
sambhar lentils, rasam soup and coconut chutney.
Let
us continue to cook with love, share with joy,
Pray
for peace, and take comfort in our friendship
And
in faith, as long as these are granted to us !
Blessings
upon our sad but beautiful world
And blessings upon us!
2.
TO A CONVALESCENT
Your
illness made me feel so helpless
I
know with greater surety how precious you are
I
have to find a pale green cotton sari
With
thin blue lines on its border
And
tiny sprigs of blossom here and there
To
give to you. A symbol of new life .
Today
when your return from the hospital
And
sit awhile among the mango trees
And
watch the thirsty birds around the tap
Sipping
in puddles where the green mint grows
Sweet
scented damask roses will enchant you
And
pearly jasmines nestled in thick leaves.
Someone
will cook you rice cakes ,I’ll send grapes.
I
wish you healing . I hope the Koel
Will
sing a sweet melody at your window
Lulling
you to sleep. Rest, and find renewal.
One
day, we all must go , but here or there,
Friends
pray for friends , and loved ones for loved ones . We, you and I, and many like
us everywhere,
Pray for all, and need all prayers.
3.
ON SUCH A NIGHT
Then
it arose.
Cool,
soft and round as a full summer moon
Light,
white and bright in all its pristine beauty
Emerging
from the translucent bridal veil
Of
diaphanous mists of evening rising
From
the muggy humid heat of a tropical afternoon
That
kills the very desire for sustenance
Thus
did the weightless idli rice cake rise
From
the steaming hot pot on a wood-fire
Glowing
gold -orange like a June sunset
Accompanied
by fluffy clouds of coconut chutney
Ready
to float upon the spicy liquid darkness
Of a
thin lentil , tomato and tamarind rasam
Tempered
with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon
Curry
leaves and star anise , coriander, cummin
Appetite-whetting
black pepper and chilies
Fragrant
as the sea breezes from the coasts
Of
Coromandel and lush Malabar
Musky
with scents of sandal and allspice
Ready
to entrance the languid and the liverish
Uniquely
poised to dent their turgid torpor
Singing
its siren song to stomach’s stupor
Appealing
to all six senses at once
Ostensibly
oozing onomatopoeia
Mixing
masked hunger with stirring desire
Thus
was the sluggish appetite awakened
And
tempted to the table to partake
Of
idli, rasam, and coconut chutney
On
such a night as this rice cake gave ease
“
When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees”
Oh,
the sheer pneumatic charm of it !
Amita Sarjit Ahluwalia is the pen name of Amita Paul, a retired civil servant who is at heart a poet and teacher. She writes , mostly poetry, in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. She was awarded the NISSIM International Poetry Award 2019 and then the Reuel international Award 2020 for Non- Fiction Prose, while Destiny International Community of Poets UK, declared her Poet of the Year 2020 as well as Critic of the Year 2020, and again in 2021. Women Empowered India have just declared her their WE Greenheart 2022 jointly with Bengal based poetess Rituparna Khan. Her work has been published in several international anthologies and also in many journals and online magazines such as Das Literarisch, Doaba, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Yugen Quest Review, Setu Bilingual Magazine, GloMag, Fasihi Magazine, and Spillwords, besides twice being among selected featured poems on the global NaPoWriMo Website, once in 2021 and then again recently in 2022.
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