Satisfaction
Sometimes, it is the common things that give satisfaction,
such as chopping onions, peppers and tomatoes
despite me rarely enjoying cooking apart from the result,
sharing food with the one who brings some real point to life,
one who lifts me above the depressing images of war on TV
by his energetic talk about some thoughts he’s just had
even when some of what he says floats above my head.
I first fry chicken pieces until the outsides are golden,
then remove and place them on absorbent paper.
That chopping of vegetables makes me feel grounded,
connects me more closely to the earth they come from,
the earth I’m normally distanced from by floors and shoes.
Sometimes, he cooks and I tell him some of my thoughts
and often he goes on to tell me more about the subject.
It’s knowing what the veg looks and feels like before
it’s fried for around five minutes, rice added for another.
Water is then poured in with everything else,
the rosemary, thyme and cayenne pepper together
with the chicken pieces removed from the kitchen paper.
It’s all left to cook for half an hour when I read emails,
check from time to time the jambalaya isn’t drying out.
The result is food that makes us feel well, not like
the cheap food you eat when you’re away from home.