*cross posting with Ethical ELA Open Write five days of poetry…
the kitchen taunts me,
the ladles, the pans, the pots.
I refuse to tell a story,
listen to a story
while the water scolds me
while the sauce splatters me
while seasonings spit at me
“What does the recipe SAY?”
“How many minutes?”
“What’s a simmer?”
but las mujeres.
Mi abuela y mi tía y mi mami –
love and heal and pass wisdom
through the searing heat of caldo de pollo
in the warmth of tacos de papa con huevo
es un baile en la cocina
for the women
while the water listens to mi abuela
while the sauce submits to mi tía
while the seasonings seek to be cared for
by mi mami
the way I, too, listen and submit and seek
to be cared for
and loved
and held
and healed
by the ancestral wisdom
that holds us together
en la cocina
Multifaceted Musings 
Britt, long time no-see at the open writes. Have I missed you? Or have you missed us? I love your bilingual poems so much. One of the ideas I have for the poem prompt this month, is to try using a word or two or phrase in another language (even if they aren’t multilingual). I love your kitchen poem so much. May I link to it, so others can read it for inspiration for a bilingual poem? Thanks! Let me know.
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Absolutely, Denise! I’m sorry I’m just seeing this comment. What kindness – your thoughtful words have motivated and encouraged me. I haven’t been writing much – personally or with online communities. Thank you for this! 💙
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Thank you so much, Britt. Do come back tomorrow to Ethical ELA, “En La Cocina” is our mentor text. 🙂
THanks, Denise
On Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 9:34 AM Multifaceted Musings < comment-reply@wordpress.com> wrote:
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