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Kitchen Incident by Rutvi Mehta

Updated: Sep 14, 2021


Art by Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch


Kitchen Incident

the pressure cooker lid –

an elephant with a trunk –

it has to be kept in check,

it cannot trumpet out of turn.

perfectly balance the rice on top,

and the dal underneath:

you don't want to make a scene.

the counter is clean;

no puddles of anything too hot to touch,

no crumbs, no onion peel.

the cooker is rattling

the fragrance of boiled dal

and the ominous sound of air

attempt to stay concealed under the lid.

perhaps the rice is not perfectly balanced

the whistle collects grievances and

continues to whisper into the empty kitchen you pop out for a pee break and kind of forget to listen

the cooker twitches and shivers,

my chest is tight

pssssss: a warning bell simmers

into the sweltering stovetop night

a sound like a gunshot

there is dal on the ceiling

I think you might have trouble reaching.



About the poet:

Rutvi does poetry cautiously and deliberately. You can follow her on Instagram @gr4vygal


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