Grandma’s Recipe
The spring caused the awakening of a morning
Where my grandma would wake up at 3am
Her cheeks blushed from the cold winds
As she chanted to the Rosaries to start her morning.
First, smile more.
She’d often smile to the mirror
Reflecting the crinkles and the trembles
In her eighty years.
She’s always told me that I am a beauty queen
And as queens
We smile and keep our chins up
We don’t look down.
Second, always sprinkle extra.
Whether that is traditional bánh mì for breakfast,
Or red velvet cakes
We’d always have extras after we are full.
She taught me to cook
And thanks to her,
I’d always cook extra
It is our way of saying, I love you so much.
Third, words.
Being one of the most respected language scholar in Vietnam,
People used to grasp onto her words — her wisdoms fill a room
Yet, this wisdom did not last forever.
As she walked to supermarkets in America
Her words trembled into a “thank you”
As the cashier grew impatient of her slow feet
And the people in our backs saying she should’ve “stayed back.”
She knows these “weaknesses”
Yet she knows she is more valuable than them
She chose to be kind when good words were scarce
And show me how words can hurt, even for an 80 years-old, experienced scholar.