Four Poems
Karina Guardiola-Lopez
somnambulism
Today I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and dead baby chicks
I navigate the corridors where monochrome memories hang on walls
it’s cold and the wooden floor creaks a familiar song
the burgundy carpet reminds me of the echoes in Brooklyn
frosted fogged chilled windows look like ghosts
I am greeted by the shadows in the kitchen
they tell me to sit and eat breakfast
I see my father, my grandparents, all the pets
I have buried in the backyard
the milk has gone sour
the crumbs are all gone
these shoes are too tight
I say a silent prayer
the tapping of a branch against the window
lets me know the visit is over
potluck poem
I sat in class with the blank page staring at me
these parched lips stole my focus
glancing at the clock, one hour before noon
I penned a poem about my love for food
Pesto sauce swirled in penne pasta
plump tomatoes, pierogi pillows, and fresh polenta
pita bread, pilaf, white pizza, to taste
pigeon peas, plantains, paneer on the plate
Pecans, pistachios, peanuts, and pine nuts
porridge, pudding, prunes, and pralines
pandoro, pancakes, pound cake, pies
parsley, peppercorn, and paprika spice
Passion fruit, pineapples, plums, and pears glazed
pina coladas, prosecco, and pink lemonade
the blank page is now filled, but with the wrong theme
at least I have a grocery list based on a foodie’s dream
Brown and Brown
She was raised on warm naan and Tandoor oven roti
while he savored corn tortillas and cheese arepas
together, they dined on
arroz con pollo and chicken biryani
cilantro, chili, cumin, curry
all delicious, no difference
blessed from immigrant parents
who turned struggles into opportunities
both from Queens
both resilient
both Brown
unfazed by stares on their strolls
to the mall, or the mosque, or la marqueta
undeterred by the murmurs of the elderly
in their own communities
they quickly learned that love
shared in the same hue was still different to some
yet they persevered together
pushed forward and beyond limits
How to Make a Quick Breakfast
Today, eggs sounded like a delicious plan
but I snoozed the alarm clock again
Instead, here's a quick breakfast on the go:
Bowl in hand, cereal of choice
Go to fridge and get the coconut milk
Pour milk, watch three drops fall
Stare at cereal, taste dry cereal
The grooves cut into the roof of mouth
Realize cereal is stale
Pour the barely wet cereal back into torn box
Into the trash it goes
Sweep up the crumbs
Open the fridge
Stare at the empty fridge
Get two medium brown eggs
Get a skillet
A spoonful of plant-based butter goes in the skillet
Crack eggs
Stare at the matzah box in the corner of the counter\
Look at the calendar
Stare at the matzah box again
A day early? Yet, still break a piece of matzah into the eggs
Stir, a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of pepper to taste
So much for a breakfast in haste
Guess who is running late for work again?
Culinary chaos, my idea of a quick breakfast.