Kahwa

By Afifa Shoket Kohli

Ever since I remember

I have loved chai.

There’s this chai my grandma makes

we call it kahwa

but I have heard many people call it Kehwa too

Mind you, this isn’t your usual kehwa with only water and patti.

Amma ji’s Kahwa is made in milk

You put in twice the amount of milk you need

It’s then boiled over for a long period of time

along with all the spices-

cinnamon, cardamom, ginger

everything is put in

and you let it simmer.

The kitchen overflows with the fragrance of the kahwa.

This is how I imagine writing a poem to be

you put in your thoughts,

your feelings.

You put in twice the amount, sometimes more,

till the final precious kahwa is made.

Writing a poem is

making kahwa for

people you adore

so that when they are served

they know how much they mean to you

Writing a poem is saying

I don’t know how to make Amma ji’s Kahwa but this is the closest I have come to it

Writing a poem is

too many words that basically say,

‘I love you’.

By Afifa Shoket Kohli