Stewing
Onions sliced
potatoes diced
into the caldron of my mind.
Bitter resentment knowing
my time is your time:
Cooking time.
cleaning time.
Who are the great artists, writers?
Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Picasso, Shakespeare, Lao Zu.
Then there were the Eliots: T.S. and George,
and the Emilys: Dickinson and Bronte.
Did they cook, clean for others?
Slowly simmering woman’s anger, boiled madness released
into the air.
Onions bring tears to the eyes, a reaction to the acid
of reality,
softened to sweetness with the warmth of a child’s hug.
Potatoes with covered eyes peeled, raw and crunchy, become
hearty
morsels with heat of writing;
slowly cooking, mixing the flavors into a palatable stew.
~ Portia Choi
Portia Choi hosts the monthly First Friday Open Mic at Dagny’s and publicizes events during National Poetry Month in April. She administers www.kernpoetry.com. She published a chapbook of her poems Sungsook, Korean War Poems. Her poems are published in multiple journals. She can be contacted at portia@kernpoetry.com