Lemon Curd by Kelly Neil

It’s six o’clock:
I’ve barely closed the front door behind me
and already

the sound of arabic mixed with
french mixed with
english

the smell of fresh garlic mixed with
all-spice mixed with
lemon

clings to my
thick brown hair.

Mom’s kitchen is the closest I have
to my grandmother
to my grandfather
to the olive trees
fig trees
cedar trees

to the breathtaking mountains
and the Mediterranean sea,

my second home.

My mom
your mom
his mom
her mom

since we can’t go there
thank you for bringing it here,

to our kitchens.