The Peasant Declares His Love - by
High-yellow of my heart, with breasts like tangerines,
/ you taste better to me than eggplant stuffed with crab,
/ you are the tripe…
food
The Floral Apron - by
The woman wore a floral apron around her neck,
/ that woman from my mother’s village
/ with a sharp cleaver in her hand.
/ She…
Unjust Praise - by
In the beginning
/ The spirit moving
/ Upon the face of the waters
/ And in the breaking waves
/ Tasted salt
/
/ And I see fields of it
/ Drying…
Modern Secrets - by
Last night I dreamt in Chinese.
/ Eating Yankee shredded wheat
/ I said it in English
/ To a friend who answered
/ In monosyllables:
/ All of which…
As the child looks on - by
his mother pulls the linen
/ from the cord.
/ She flaps each sheet,
/ folds each vest.
/ Collars are starched,
/ skirts are dressed.
/ She is spit, she is…
Like a Beacon - by
In London
/ every now and then
/ I get this craving
/ for my mother’s food
/ I leave art galleries
/ in search of plantains
/ saltfish/sweet potatoes
/
/ I need this…
Guid Taste - by
Tae get your juices gaun we’ve
/ the brawest Indian food fur ye.
/ Goan specialities
/ caller oot o Scotland’s seas.
/ King prawns hottered wi…
Blaeberry Mou - by
The flitterin faces come doun the brae
/ And the baskets gowd and green;
/ And nane but a blindie wud speer the day
/ Whaur…
Milk - by
Your custom often
/ when the house was still
/
/ to brew milky coffee
/ and reminisce.
/
/ Child care experts would have frowned
/ on my late hours,
/
/ The bitter…
from A hyakuin renga in summer - by
shrivelled little figs
/ that never made it
/ to the table
/
/ swirling a late cup of milky tea
/ what she’d like…
A Child’s Calendar of Feasts - by
September
/ Peel some hazelnuts while they’re still green. Our grapes can hang another day.
/
/ October
/ Take these walnuts next door. Tell them we…
The Picnic - by
In a little rainy mist of white and grey
we sat under an old tree,
drank tea toasts to the powdery mountain,
undrunk got merry, played catch
with the empty flask