Dinner
The flavour of existing
We stopped sharing dishes
and fishing from each other’s plate.
But is it just a matter of time until we stop sharing tables?
I encountered love around the dinner table.
I became human during moments that in this,
foreign tongue do not exist:
aperitivo, tapeo, sobremesa.
Letting my thoughts bake with the heating oven,
Mature my perspective with the ageing wine
Exchanging the salt,
The pepper,
The secret ingredient,
The buried confession.
Adjusting the dressing of my opinions,
Letting go of the last croquette,
Tasting the flavour of people laughing,
Toasting the years,
The lovers,
The goodbyes.
When we learnt to hunt
We learnt to share,
And when we learnt to cook
We learnt to wait.
Fuelling the fire
Crafting the tales.
Bridging the gaps,
Securing the ties.
The story of a meal is the history of our species.
© Cecilia Padilla Iglesias, 2021
