A streak of moonlight cuddled by the chair placed in the balcony, outside
The ricocheting time and I, and the solar moonlight, a moonlit foamy, a subtle tide
My daughter beside me, and a diamond stud, her nose knows her black heads, in a way, fortitude
A face and a lit, a solar and a misfit
a questioner, closest, midfielder, lifelong
my quenching oasis, amidst my torn life, vagabond
I saw my brazen Fenugreek, my curry, my grave failure, a Maugham outspoken in mom
My dish said a delicacy long ago, with your perfect soft, melted ambiance
my soul, my Mosul,my Samara , my mina and my minaret
They kept your calendar tales and fruit punch , they never quite gripped
The midnight hymn and the enclosing, merging with the foamy sea, rhythm
I saw a morn, a corn, of the needle in a haystack, where even the arch angel ask.
My daughter, sleeping beside me, my soul within, in the depth of the moonlight!
It blooms
in the steam,
white and velvety.
What makes it unique
is its shape and taste. True
culinary art is created in the heart.
Ajinomoto is never sprinkled for a harmful
delight. The old purity prevails in the batter of rice,
black gram, fenugreek, and salt, challenging time. The
idli brings a hamlet into the limelight. Like a ballad, its recipe
and cuisine have been passed down. I goggle at it before gobbling.
No gripe. Eupeptic. My fatigue does vanish in the relish. It’s not the
painted wall, but the warm air and the delicious dish that linger in my soul.
First published in The Literary Hatchet
Little copper seeds
Precious jewel from the East
Balanced blood sugar
Mucilage for the GI
Great healing with fenugreek
Once a little girl named Monique
Dreamt of opening up a boutique
Between the creek and clinique
Thought long of every technique
Her sign above would be no antique
It would glow and actually speak
“Hello we’re MYSTIQUE -
Open every day of the week
Come on in, have a peek
We sell clothes that are chic
Indian silks from the Sikh
Colourful lace and batik
For women of every physique
You’ll love us, we’re unique
And for lunch, stay fill your beak
Try Mom’s soup of fenugreek and leek“
While others were playing hide-and-seek
Little Monique dreamt of opening her boutique
AP: Honorable Mention 2021
Sublime substance speaks
Lasting love loiters;
Fragile peace percolates
~~~~~~~~~
Words cannot go
Beyond feelings;
Finesse lurks beyond
~~~~~~~~~
Cheer finds a way
To tell on you;
Joy sculpts beauty
~~~~~~~~~
Work wise wit
Fit each bit;
Hear laughter fit
~~~~~~~~~
Lemony taste
Fenugreek brew;
Espresso grooms triad
~~~~~~~~~
Patience sits
Waiting on words;
Experiential stuff
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
05 March 2016
Singapore
Morning oozes
Sunbeams linger;
Hurl of new day
~~~~~~~~~
Dawn brightly hurls
Sparkle and fest;
Sleepy eyes glimpse
~~~~~~~~~
Neighbour walks
Cute barking dog;
Morning commotion
~~~~~~~~~
Sun streams slant
Bright beams burst;
Touch tasty twinkle
~~~~~~~~~
My wife signals
Birdsong on ledge;
Lovely serenade
~~~~~~~~~
Joy attends
Window soloist;
Black bird concerto
~~~~~~~~~
Early rising
Wake-up call alarm;
Morning agenda
~~~~~~~~~
Words in slow murmurs
Seeding new voice;
Verse transcripts ooze
~~~~~~~~~
Fenugreek brew
Honeyed black cumin;
Espresso plus lemony brief
~~~~~~~~~
Sparkling colours
Gaze of morn;
Tai-Chi dancers swirl
~~~~~~~~~
Time waltzes fast
Watch the sun beams;
Another year dawns
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
23 February 2016
Singapore
i prepared a simple supper
but with great love i cooked
that main meat of refined wheat
durum semolina, traded as rotini
an Italian pasta to go with beef, a grace
from a Canadian cow grazed in prairie grass,
spiced with herbs from the hunted tropics:
ginger, garlic, turmeric, and coriander
powdered, with red pepper powder
and red pepper crushed, black pepper
(also powdered), added to the onion
chopped, fennel, fenugreek, and cumin
(all seeds), and the magical mustard,
adding leaves chopped: basil, chives
and parsley, with garam masala, a Bharat
special, sprinkled with hardly a pinch of salt
before adding the slow-cooked African beans
and Mexican sauce: chopped and crushed tomato,
and boiled potato, after being sautéed
in the US canola oil to enhance the taste
of minerals and more already in my pan:
folate, iron, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine
already mixed in carbohydrate, the main
with Chinese additives: citric, soy, and seasonings
unlisted; likewise the two sealed cans
that curtailed my sprinkling salt for supper
came with corn starch, sugar, more spices
and blackstrap molasses, and a poetic muse
Needles and strips. Feet that's sore.
Aches and pains. Meters that store.
Numbers go up. Then they go down.
Cookies and pasta and cake all around!
Daily walks. Nutritious food.
Cinnamon helps. Some herbs do.
Fenugreek, bromelain and boswellia stew.
Fish and pumpkin oils fight inflamation in you.
Drink lots of water. Alcohol's taboo.
Loose the smokes. And spare tire to!
Sweating, shaking, tingling lips.
Too much insulin can do all this.
Or don't eat enough or over exercise.
Can knock you right out. Yes even die!
Glucose tabs. Keep close at hand.
Diabetes can be so grand!......
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