Outdoor Kitchen

Timber bamboo spiral upwards

holding frame, steadying shelter

touching sky this kitchen edifice

We cook rice in open elements receiving

protection from rain, though rats, mice

visit and birds fly through,

Chickens, geckoes, beetles, mosquitoes

meander in while lazy farm dog, cats

rest in sun forgetting to guard the cookery

Come on sun's up wake up!

wash everything before cooking

paw prints in pans, some dribbles in plates

Did the shama make a nest again

in the hanging pot? Doesn't she know-

cats love to watch her babies grow

tell me shama do you see them as friend or foe?

Shucking coconut in bamboo round room

listening to bird song, breeze song, tea kettle

whistling as smells of

Flowering orange tree lingers in air

making food taste like

we must lick our fingers

-from Weaving Green and Other Poems from a Tropical Farm (soon to be published)