After a long, long fallow period, I feel super sunny that my byline has popped up twice this spring.
Fruit: New Year’s Instructions, in Alimentum’s 2014 Menu Poems — my first foray into published poetry. I’m thrilled my new little lyric found a perfect home, in a journal I admire so often.
Cold water holds
Spilled sweetness
Bean: Cloudy Coffee, part of Killing the Buddha’s India focus. A love letter to my little-mom auntie, so far away, and to my morning (and afternoon) coffee, so close at hand.
I slip into her kitchen to do what women do, our everyday work its own prayer, its own dribble of connection. Carefully, I inhale, and then blow the creamy cloud across the surface of the milk.
I’m basking in this summer city heat. Thanks to it, and no shortage of fertilizer lately, I’ve got lots more creative stuff sprouting, more cooking. Hope you do, too.
Dania Rajendra 
Coffee is a very native word within me. I was born among their white April flowers which turned into August sweet pink fruits. I fondly recall the lush green bushes, in the peppercorn adorned valley, chaperoned by tall slender Silver Oaks’ shades. Oh, that man was playing his flute, that he made from the papaya leaf reed, the pith was taken out the holes were made all by him. Some body chimed in.. that sonorous song– I recognize the Tulu words.. and that song is fresh in my ears. I tried to translate the words to Kannada, my native tongue. The song was over when the nightly show of the fire-flies began.. it went on for hours …on and off to let the god of haven know the valley was asleep. I keep thinking to this day, if there is a valley there is always a mountain.
On pomegranate: I understand the bloody red mess of Pomegranate, and the need to Drain the bright red evidence of the resistance To breaking Up. We grew them too in plenty along with thorny Ananas (pine apple). When the thorn was removed with tact it was all sweetness. I will try to translate however poorly I can this beauty –New year’s Instruction to Kannada.
viswa
My Translation of your wonderful Poem.
ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಆದೇಶ
ದಾನಿಯ ರಾಜೆಂದ್ರ ಅವರ ಪದ್ಯದ ವಿಶ್ವಾನುವಾದ
ಸಡಲಿಸಲು ಬೀಜಗಳ ದಾಡಿಂಬಿಯಿಂದ
ಮಾಡದೇ ಸುರಿವರಕ್ತದ ರಂಪ
ಹಿಡಿ ಹೋಳನು ತಣ್ಣೀರಲಿ ಹೂಡಿ ಆಳದ
ಮಡಿಗೆಯನು ತೊಟ್ಟಿಯಲಿ ||
ಎರಡು ಕೈಗಳನಿಡು ನೀರೊಳಗೆ
ಆರಂಬಿಸು ಬಗ್ಗಿಸಿ ತಿರುಚಲು.
ಸೆರೆಗೂಡಿದ್ದ ಬಲೆ ಕೋಶ
ಪಾರು ಮಾಡುವು ಕಾಳುಗಳ ||
ಒಳಿತು ಮುಳುಗಿಸಿದರೆ ಕಾಂಡ
ಒಳಗೆ ಹಿಡಿದಿಡುವುದು ತಣ್ಣಿರು
ಚೆಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಸಿಹಿತನ
ಬಿರುಗೆಂಪಿನ ಪ್ರಮಾಣ.
ಹೀರು ನಿರೋಧವ
ಮುರಿದು ಬಿಡುವುದಕೆ. ||