Kitchen Tiles

MAHA PARACHA

Credit: Rustic Vegan

Life, for me started at 

the kitchen table. Plate center,

smaller plate inner,

fork left, smaller fork lefter.

Life, what is this life?

Then I began to notice

the pantry was no longer

overflowing with shortbread 

cookies. As I set the table,

my brother munched away happily.

If I could cut the tie

of restriction on female

life in kitchens, tethered

shackled, shaken to stay attached

to kitchen tables, I would.

But I’d need an industrial scissor

and women are only allowed

scissors for cutting thread on trousers.

Life seemed meaningless,

my life seemed meaningless,

salad fork, soup spoon, butterknife.

What did it matter? Life was

not only at this table—