As Usual

06 Apr, 2012 -

As Usual

 

I drain the tofu first,

holding the heavy

white sponge

 

in my palm. Sear it

til the white browns. Moving that

to a bowl, I hear the bell. Someone

 

is at the door. I wipe my hands,

buzz him in after throwing the

chopped onions, mushrooms, peppers into

the still hot

wok. When the tender flesh

 

begins to brown, and

he turns music on

in the living room, I open

a can of coconut milk;

 

pour it over the sizzling vegetables,

swirl it around

with a wooden spoon. He pulls

a book from his bag and

begins reading from

 

“The Paris Review”. Half

listening, I chop ginger root,

sprinkle turmeric, curry, cayenne

 

“Here’s a new one by Sharon Olds,”

he says, while I rinse cilantro.

“The Haircut,” he begins.

 

I open

the fridge,

reach

for the lemons.

 

 

 

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About the author

Amy Leigh Cutler

Amy Leigh Cutler is the author of "Orange Juice and Rooftops" and a few chapbooks. Some of her recent collaborations can be found in Jonathan Weiskopf's "For Some Time Now" and Wooster Collective's "Graphite", and in a forthcoming anthology by Great Weather for Media.  She is the founder of Timshel Artists' [Collective] and an MFA candidate in poetry at The New School. She lives without irony in Alphabet City. 

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