Each month we hold a writing contest for our members, by our members. Writers are given parameters, such as a word count and/or a prompt. Entries are judged and discussed blindly. This month, writers were given the broad prompt "Singapore" with a word count not to exceed 800.
Singapore Noodles
by Gabrielle Gold
Its scent is sharp and warm,
rising with coils of steam
as the plate is set before me.
Evoking markets and painted shrines,
it spins stories of a far-off place,
dusted with curry and lies.
An island favorite, gold as the shores,
but not that island. We have mixed
up our names and our spices,
colonized and confused.
Child of opposing directions,
born amidst the crush
of laborers and conquerors and hope,
linked by title alone
not to China, or Britain, or anyone
who had a say in the matter.
I lift a fragrant bundle
in my chopsticks, still clumsy
and determined not to eat
like a foreigner.
