Poetry Submission: December 2013

This month, Asian Fortune is launching its poetry series – a space for local APA poets to share their art, stories, and moments. We encourage all APA poets in the D.C. metropolitan area to submit their work. More information on monthly themes, eligibility guidelines, and prompts can be found on our website: http://www.asianfortunenews.com/poetry-submissions/ Happy writing!

día ng mga patay (day of the dead)

offerings keep at the altar after nov. starts

for the late comers and partiers

and spirits who still sneak as much pagkain as possible into napkins

the path is silent-

kucina a cuarto, cajón hanggang basura

a table mestizaed

with fotos, treats, at debosyons

yemaya, pachamama, jesús cristo songs to ease loved and pitied ones back

fresh lavender cookies and lumpia para sa kibibi y luz ma

papá at antonio and their shoestring fries

I lay down gifts and ofrendas can no longer keep track of

anniversaries:

add deaths

subtract whens

total missing

all the lit candles may not be enough to lead them to my heart

so carlos still gets polvorón he could never find sa lima

mga lolas pueden kumain balut between them

y para sa aking lolo a glass of malta

the same kind he gave me at 5

when I thought I was so wise and well-lived enough to drink and play cards

in the back room just like him

its taste burning my lengua.

-jennifer cendaña armas

—

jennifer cendaña armas is a writer, actor, dancer, and singer from nyc. her work has been featured globally, including the hip-hop theatre festival, lincoln center’s la casita, london’s ronnie scott’s upstairs, awol magazine,and nyu’s review for law & social change. she facilitates arts/social justice workshops internationally. www.junipersupadupa.com .

Small Number 15

I love the smell. I love the taste.

I love the warmth swimming down my spine.

Just the thought of it makes me quiver and crave it.

I can smell it in the air at any moment.

I have invited all of my friends to join me,

But I can eat it alone or with a group.

I can eat it with chicken or beef, rare or cooked.

It is so simple, yet the different components

add a unique burst to every tastebud.

I will never forget it. I will forever adore it.

It is more than just soup.

It is a culture packed into a single dish.

The light-hearted laughter of the thin rice noodles.

The bold beef broth hits the tongue at a thousand miles per minute;

Like a Tet festival full of firecrackers and a wide array of colors.

The fresh green cilantro and spring onions widen the spirit of any Viet;

Like those who understand the thrill of riding in a xich lo.

Then, the lime.

A single drop of ripe, green lime will make any bowl unforgettable.

The striking burst of citrus contrasts perfectly with the broth.

A beautiful mixture of nature fills the scene.

I think I’ll have a small 15.

-Melinda Nguyen

Bun Shoe

Dedicated to my grandmother

A swan

A dog

A duck

A dragon

A boat

Good luck

She could make it all

I’ve searched far and wide for the perfect pastry

It has yet to be found

There are many like it

Especially at Eden

But maybe it was the love that brought it all together

Creamy, smooth

Fluffy, warm

Shoe, shoe

Imagine a shoe

That’s how I’ll remember it

So that I can ask for it later in life

It’s later in life

Bun shoe, shoe

I’ve asked for it, but

I have yet to find the perfect pastry

Seven corners, seven chances

But all I needed was one kitchen counter

Blobs of imitations

Squishy, soggy

Not the same

Not how I remembered it when I was young

I yearn for the perfect pastry again

– Melinda Nguyen