Special Day

The joy in a grain of rice

Bright whites of eye,
shining,
above sparkling teeth,
displayed in a wide crescent.
Eyes rolling into sky.
Another heaping spoonful.
Cheeks filled with the precious grains.
Oh, the texture and flavor against the tongue.
Eyes roll.
Laughter ensues.
Today is a special day…
there is rice instead of millet.

A poem by Pemba Umoja