The Kitchen: Poem by Warsan Shire

Half a papaya and a palmful of oil;
   lately your husband’s mind has been elsewhere.

Honeyed dates, goat’s milk;
   you want to quiet the bloating of salt.

Coconut and ghee butter;
   he kisses the back of your neck at the stove.

Cayenne and roasted pine nuts;
   you offer him the hollow of your throat.

Saffron and rosemary;
   you don’t ask him her name.

Vine leaves and olives;
   you let him lift you by the waist.

Cinnamon and tamarind;
   lay you down on the kitchen counter.

Almond soaked in rose water;
   your husband is hungry.

Sweet mango and sugared lemon;
   he had forgotten the way you taste.

Sour dough and cumin;
   but it cannot make him eat, like you.