Doose Ieeveh
@dooseieeveh994901
1 year ago
MY MOTHER’S SOUP
The steaming hot plate of soup sat elegantly and eyed me
The magnificent leafy green twirling around red palm oil
Chunks of tender cow hide soaked in ground melon
The aroma could easily cast a spell
A spell able to bewitch your mouth to drool and your stomach to growl
My mouth was overrun with saliva at the mere sight of it
I dug in excited and frankly, there was nothing quite like the taste of it
I nearly spat out the sumptuous meal when I tasted it
It was laced with so much salt
Just as her words are
They hang so thick in the air, I don’t have to taste it to know
They brine my wounds and make me hurt all night long
As I chewed on, I tasted bitter leaf
Her bitter resentment for me was thoroughly cooked into it
I could taste it even before I savoured it
I didn’t turn out the perfect daughter she hoped for
As I turned the morsel in my mouth, I tasted the lumps of egusi
Her half-baked love and disappointment were distinguishable in it
She shows me love and just before I embrace it
She surrounds it with disappointment for what I had become
Like egusi, you think it is meat then chew disappointedly into a lump of ground melon seeds
I wished that was all she prepared
But it turned out this was a special delicacy custom made for me
And she put her all into it
I chewed on pomo
Ah! Finally, some comfort for my taste buds
But before the piece disappeared, I chewed on a stone
That most probably cracked my tooth
I could feel it
But I couldn’t show my repulsion
She put so much effort into making this dish
And her hand of pampering carefully mixed with unhealthy pressure
I could definitely taste in this ponmo
I ate with utmost displeasure
But I couldn’t tell her that this meal was despicable, she is my mother after all
So after filling myself with this poison she called food
I stood up, smiled and said “thank you Mummy”
Because na mumu pikin dey talk say im mama food no sweet
#poetry
#flavorsofhome
