Rice Pudding - A Sweet Treat

Poetry by Sreelekha Chatterjee

Milk swells in a saucepan over high heat,

melting the granulated sugar

where bubbles rise and disappear.

Lovingly added rice simmers over low heat

bringing in the evolving energy of nature.

Stir the fluid occasionally like you row a boat in water,

until the milk thickens, adding creamy delights.

It’s no gourmet trick but a humble grain in milk

that shines when slivered almonds, chopped pistachios,

raisins, and cardamom join the team.

Another few minutes of cooking

waft the delicious aroma of warmth and vivacity,

entertaining indulgent drools,

inviting hunger pangs, as the earth yearns for rain.      

Remove from the heat, add saffron, and stir well,

emboldening the treat to the golden hue of the sun,

while you enjoy the heavenly whiff, hard to resist.

Garnish with rose petals,

like a tree bed decorated with flowers,

witnessing a familiar joy.

Serve the rice pudding warm or cold,

on a special occasion, birthday, or suiting an everyday role,

where unmeasured spoons comfort the body, soothe the soul. 

BIO: Sreelekha Chatterjee’s poems have appeared in Madras Courier, Setu, Raw Lit, Pena Literary Magazine, Porch Literary Magazine, Verse-Virtual, The Wise Owl, Ghudsavar Literary Magazine, Orenaug Mountain Poetry Journal, Poetry Catalog, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, Poems for Tomorrow, Fevers of the Mind, Medusa’s Kitchen, and in the anthologies—Light & Dark (Bitterleaf Books, UK), Personal Freedom, The Harvest & the Reaping, Winter Glimmerings, and Whose Spirits Touch (Orenaug Mountain Publishing, USA), and Christmas-Winter Anthology Volume 4 (Black Bough Poetry, Wales, UK), among others. 

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