I always overpour

Cook white rice with too much water

Fry the egg and burst its yolk

Never careful to check the size of the spout

Drown the meal in soy sauce

Am forced to drink tarter liquids

Cleanse my palette

 

Disappointment

Is still satisfying

 

It sits in your throat

Lets each favor absorb

Rewrites your composition

 

You become familiar with this recipe

Its weight

You tell yourself you will become practiced

At preparation

 

You’ll wash the rice

Butter the pan

Look

And look back again

 

You’ll perfect the meal

 

But then you will pour cumin in your oatmeal

And have to sit with a new spice

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Ashley Robles is an artist currently residing in San Antonio, TX, a UT Austin alum, and is working to normalize chronic illness in her corporate & creative life. She can be found online @mzashleypie