( i.)



we eat with our   h  a  n  d  s
ba  na  na  leaf  plate  sp  a  nn  ing 
a table   or two 
how many  h ands can we count covers
tropical  banana (.)    savannah of   g  lo  s  s  y    c  h  l  o  r  o  ph  y  l  l,
ele   phant   -ic    l eaves 



   lai d d own    under:
      ric e         

pan- cit      bi- hon 
       ini haw 
 lechon 
                                                      think:          ( red skin  ,  crackling  WHOLEroasted   pig
                                                                              “pinch  the  belly       where    lemon grass

                                                 &   gar lic

                                                                                          Are.”     ) 






 in the city,             we
  think of:      the  word       bu-  kid   
and       smell(:)   lush plant scent               from
     machete       /      i-   t  ak 
cutting  down    banana hearts not exactly 
bananas       yet



          ( purple      red ) 
       still in parenthesis



br.  eaK  it open 
           see seedlings   like dotted   i s



o  r




        revert time     t o     let it  grow
        : saba 
type of banana        cultivar
        boil it  whole   inside  its peel  t  i  l  l  charred brown and black 
warm on hand      
let
   p(e)tals  of   brown black peel     splay    o  u  t
 like:    its canopy  
                             as    wings droop down to   reveal
sweet.   gelatinous.  taste.









( ii.)



there are        grains of rice    on 
      the sides of my fingers 
i lick it      or kiss the skin    to  leave none wasted     
it is salty     from oils   
                      sauces 
   mothers always say:
“every grain  is  a drop of sweat  off a farmer’s head” 
             suffered          abundance
in tropical humidity

                                         my cousin’s head sweats as he slurps warm soup    
 my mother    cleans h-

er fish bones     like   a cat’s  tongue 
colonized country    taught to eat with

                                                                  u ten sils       
                              (         although   
                    spoonfuls of rice     
                    remain         more popular than     forkfuls  )



    ;     hands    understand    
    H  O  M  E    is in the texture of    rice
  spread    out until 
the.  warm.   steam  r is es  
        which  fingers then touch their tips for    in 
reconciling motion 
         —soft grains compact    
in mouth.