Poetry by Kira M. Tjomsland
Perhaps we were feeling slightly hungry as we browsed the art gallery,
stopping before an oil-on-canvas
where ripe oranges made a branch bow low,
and you turned and asked me,
“If your kitchen had a fruit theme, what fruit would it be?”
The question exhales, and from it I inhale
the citrusy-sterile smell
of Grandma’s kitchen,
where dish soap stings my nose with the acidic tang
of the towels, of the bowls, of the plates, of the tiles on the wall
all distinctly, blatantly, unapologetically lemon.
Like a candle with a layered scent profile,
I whiff the undercurrents that made their way
into my own mother’s kitchen,
where the hand soap is always lemon, grapefruit, or tangerine
and the essential oils diffusing are always lemongrass or lime.
While I enjoy lemon-flavored desserts
and a wedge of lime in my water,
is it wrong of me to now associate the smell
with the drudgery of cleaning?
Maybe a strawberry or an apple theme
would better suit my counter’s red appliances;
raspberry doesn’t scream “kitchen” to me,
and cherries are an absolute no.
I think of my childhood friend’s new kitchen,
each appliance painted with a different piece of
a colorful fruit salad.
I think that I’m too picky of an eater
to really pull that off.
But as we meander to the next displayed easel
and I think of the dishes waiting for me,
I glance back over at the orange grove canvas
and think maybe that citrus isn’t so bad.
Kira M. Tjomsland is an award-winning author and poet, Creative Writing MFA candidate, and co-founder of Wandering Lights Literary Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys baking as much from scratch as possible. To read more of her work, see her website kiramtjomslandauthor.com and follow her @kiramtjomsland.author.
