Home?
In the memory of
the black forest cakes
from the most local
of the Pakistani bakeries —
something I didn’t even
particularly enjoy
but here in a land
so far away from home
I crave...
Oh the things I crave —
mangoes and karailey,
sandals and shalwar suits,
and even those yellowing
landscapes.
Just being able to say
'yes, I am okay'
but in that language
I took for granted for so many years
is a luxury on some days.
But when I’m home
I want to talk about the U-Bahns and umlaute
and how foreign the words from my language sound
from a white man’s mouth.
I must admit I’m obsessed
with languages, cultures, how same
and different are they?!
Pakistani writer
I wrote this because I saw this black forest dessert in a Turkish bakery in Germany. It reminded me of the black forest cake and how it was back in Pakistan. Even when they looked the same, they tasted so different.
