The Orange Candy

Sweeter than biting was
dissolving it slowly.
I found an orange farm in the candy
as a man did his lover in a ghazal.
I wished I had an orifice at the bottom of my neck
through which the orange saliva
frozen as the candy
fell into my hand
for me to relish again.
My pocket was empty,
yet I enjoyed that voracious time.
I was indebted to my grandma’s *konthala
for my sugary spree.

The savor of that candy still lingers
in the mouth of my childhood.

*Konthala is a Malayalam word meaning a temporary knot
made at the upper end of a dhoti for keeping money.

First published in SPOONFEED Magazine.