An evocative poem by Dr Jyothsnaphanija from a recipe to the origin of a word, a woman’s life – exclusively for Different Truths.

She is told to make this recipe
Carrying true Karnataka’s geography.
Not compromising the alliteration in the name with the flavours.
The toughness of Carnatic ragas like Bhairavi or Shuddha Saveri.
She speaks less these days, no colour of raisins in her entries.
All beautiful memories of reading for herself are ground poppy seeds.
Little drawings of scattered rice in her notebook.
Evening’s prettiness, she reshuffles
Saucepan in low flame, she listens
The word coconut water
While thinking of the word’s origin.
She doesn’t have enough grasp on time.
She is fond of all incomplete things
As jaggery never gets a fine square shape.

Glossary

• Payasam: a dessert made with milk and rice
• Karnataka: a state in India
• Carnatic ragas: traditional Indian music

Picture design by Anumita Roy

Dr Jyothsnaphanija

Dr Jyothsnaphanija teaches English Literature at ARSD College (University of Delhi), India. Her first poetry collection Ceramic Evening was published in 2016. Her poems most recently have appeared and are forthcoming in The Handy, Uncapped Pen, Wishbone Words, The Hopper, Bosphorus Review of Books and others.

See Full Bio