Sivakami Velliangiri
Jackfruit Payasam
Once a year the dead
descend to their loved ones,
to see if everything is fine
with those they left behind.
One year is one day
where they are put up.
Their loved ones
prepare a feast of their favourite dishes
as offerings and feed the crows.
They need need a physical form to land on earth--
the crows caw before they eat,
and scoop away the served plantain leaf.
The elongated jackfruit sends out a scent
to announce it has ripened.
This is the fruit meant for the New Moon
mid-day lunch; peeled, podded, diced with fingers
dipped in coconut oil, sautéed on a low flame with ghee
till it rolls like jelly, topped with ample sugar
added to coconut milk with powdered cardamom.
Even Gods cannot resist this dish.
Sivakami Velliangiri is a senior poet, born in Madras and brought up at Trivandrum, and now living in Chennai. When Sivakami Velliangiri was Sivakami Ramanathan she published her poems in Youth Times. After coming to Chennai she published in various literary journals and Professor Srinivasa Iyengar included her among the women poets in his “History of Indian Writing in English” in his 1980 edition. She co-ordinated the British Council Poetry Circle and enjoyed bringing young ones to poetry. Her online Chapbook In My Midriff was published by Lily Literary Review. How We Measured Time is her debut poetry book.
Once a year the dead
descend to their loved ones,
to see if everything is fine
with those they left behind.
One year is one day
where they are put up.
Their loved ones
prepare a feast of their favourite dishes
as offerings and feed the crows.
They need need a physical form to land on earth--
the crows caw before they eat,
and scoop away the served plantain leaf.
The elongated jackfruit sends out a scent
to announce it has ripened.
This is the fruit meant for the New Moon
mid-day lunch; peeled, podded, diced with fingers
dipped in coconut oil, sautéed on a low flame with ghee
till it rolls like jelly, topped with ample sugar
added to coconut milk with powdered cardamom.
Even Gods cannot resist this dish.
Sivakami Velliangiri is a senior poet, born in Madras and brought up at Trivandrum, and now living in Chennai. When Sivakami Velliangiri was Sivakami Ramanathan she published her poems in Youth Times. After coming to Chennai she published in various literary journals and Professor Srinivasa Iyengar included her among the women poets in his “History of Indian Writing in English” in his 1980 edition. She co-ordinated the British Council Poetry Circle and enjoyed bringing young ones to poetry. Her online Chapbook In My Midriff was published by Lily Literary Review. How We Measured Time is her debut poetry book.