2007 IATE Poetry and Prose Contest
Poems of Special Merit
Jessica Johal
Buffalo Grove High School , Grade 12
Buffalo Grove , Illinois
Teacher, Joyce Norman
Punjabi American
I walk through the front door,
the scent of Mati’s
tandoori chicken curry
sticks to the air.
In the kitchen
she stands before the stove
adding masala spices
in a beige and white salwar kameez,
the baggy pants I know,
tied with white string, but covered
by the short-sleeved kurta
that reaches just above her knees.
Papa sits at the kitchen table
reading the Punjab Times newspaper.
Bill Clinton is in India,
he flips the page, Aishwariya Rai
starred in the new movie,
Pride and Prejudice.
For just a split second,
the steel kara on his wrist
reflects the sun shining
through the window behind him
and causes a glare in my eyes.
Naniji sits beside him
sipping a cup of strong Punjabi cha
the familiar tea spices
mix with the masala,
and make my tongue go dry. I sit at the table,
Mati places in front of me
a bowl of tandoori curry,
steam from the chicken hits my face,
her lips brief to my forehead,
she says, “Morning, Beta,
careful, it’s hot.”