Colorful breakfast art by Ida Skivenes

A good breakfast,
is one had to a heart’s content,
hot creamy Nescafe,
poured from one tumbler into another
and cooled to the right temperature.
A bowl of left-over fish and chicken curry, heated
into a thick, rich concoction
nand coconut and mint chutney for a tangy scoop.
A large ever-silver plate before you,
waits for the thosai to assail from the kitchen
and into the dining room.
Drumming your fingers lightly,
‘Amma’, you call out impatiently, for
the sizzling thosai in gingelly oil
that infuses the fresh morning air,
livens your senses,
and you quiver with hunger.
The first thosai arrives,
complemented by a second, third
and fourth, or even a fifth
before you are three quarters done
on the earlierserving.
And then, when
there is no more coffee to go around, and
Amma shouts out from the kitchen,
you’vehad enough thosais –
you sit back and smile,
a good breakfast,
is one, had to a heart’s content.

Paul GnanaSelvam is an Ipoh-born writer and poet whose work often focuses on the experiences, issues and identity conflicts of those in the Indian diaspora. His poems and short stories have been published both locally and internationally in e-magazines, anthologies and literary journals. His first solo collection of short stories, Latha’s Christmas & Other Stories, was published in 2013. He currently lectures at University Tunku Abdul Rahman in Kampar, Perak.

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Tags: Paul Gnanaselvam