My pancakes look like scrambled eggs
And taste like butter jelly
In the mirror, I look no better
My face a hamburger and hair like vermicelli.
Mama always said there would be days
When things don’t go your usual way
No panic, no fret, no tears would wash away
The mess you made in the kitchen today.
I try hard to hear mama’s voice
But it sounds like some other- worldly noise
from far away when I was five and things were right
When eggs were eggs in plain sight.
I am not five, not any more
Mama’s kitchen is a distant shore
Hunger pangs tear at the core
The day and I, both a messy eyesore.
I shed a few tears sitting alone
Drown the mascara as I sit and moan
But the smell of eggs has not yet gone
I get up to scrub the mess I have strewn.
And then I remember what Mama said
Take a deep breath..yes, you should
and forget the pancakes on a bad day
Today, a regular bowl of cereal is just as good.
Roopal Kewalya is a film graduate from NID, Ahmedabad and has been an active independent writer for television, short films and even song lyrics for various organizations. She has also had short stints as a stage actor, a radio jockey for FMII and loves to dabble in all things creative.
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