personal
The Memories Hidden in Sweet Plantains
A Filipino dessert that fulfilled my childhood; I relived it… alone.
I sliced up seven frozen sweet plantains,
I dunked a can of coconut milk into a pot and
let it boil —
hmm… the tropical aroma filled the air and
my brain caught thousands of delightful
memories of my childhood,
then the sweet plantains joined the
coconut milk for a nostalgic party,
in ten or so minutes, the darling
condensed milk drifted along for more musings,
I stirred, it swirled, it emanated…
c’mon, bring back those happy days…
… help me bring back the times
when my grandmother would delight me,
when my mother would dump all her work
just to cheer me and my sister up,
when my aunts would make me feel important,
c’mon, bring them back… I would kill for
those precious moments right now… please
bring them back!
… and it’s ready!
my excitement soared through the roof
as I poured me a bowl,
I sat in my room to devour it while watching
a documentary on a poet with a deadly
morbid mind,
who was I kidding as I escaped my heart?
why did I ever grow up?
why does life keep taking away loved ones?
why did I even leave?
why did I leave home?
why have I been away for way too long?
ah, my home snack was one of a kind
I made it myself this time
I gobbled it down
as tears flowed out of my eyes
though it delighted me,
cheered me up,
and made me feel important,
only for a while
only for a while
just like my childhood
that will always
wonder why.