Milton J. Kessler Memorial Prize in Poetry
– Finalist –

My Mother-in-Law’s Recipe for Chicken Curry

1. 1. 1. Cut one onion into thin slices. Let your tears fall and blame it on the onion if he asks why you’re crying again.
      2. For each time he kicked you out of the house, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pot. (That’s three tablespoons)
      3. Toss in the onions and listen to the sound of them sizzling in the hot oil drown out the ringing in your ears.
      4. Dice two tomatoes and throw them in when the onions turn brown like your skin—not his. Yours is darker.
      5. Don’t forget to open a window before he yells about the smell. Add a heaping tablespoon of garlic paste, and another of ginger paste.
      6. Add the following spices:
         • One teaspoon of coriander (to ground you)
         • One teaspoon of salt (because you’re salty)
         • A pinch of red chili powder (he can’t handle spice)
         • Half a teaspoon of cumin (so he’ll love you)
         • Half a teaspoon of turmeric (to curb his anger)
         • A pinch of garam masala (out of spite)
      7. Until it looks like the vomit you’re choking back at the bottom of your throat, fry it all together.
      8. Add the cut-up chicken cubes one by one. Watch their purple and blue veins turn translucent as you touch the tender bruise on your leg, wondering when it will fade.
      9. When the chicken turns golden-brown, add half a cup of water and let it simmer (like your resentment)
      10. Fifteen minutes later, it is done.
      11. (Remember it will never be as good as his mother’s)