Quiet Declarations

by Kartiki

My love wraps your paratha and settles in the crinkle of the foil paper

It's mixed in with your favorite recipe, which turned me into a baker

It's loaded in the extra choco chips I add to your pancake

In the plethora of discussions we've had throughout the night, staying awake

It's hidden in the tissue I carry, just in case the world makes you cry

It's in the boil of the kadak chai

It's slow-cooked and fragrant

It's in the jokes that I crack to hear you laugh, to be your entertainment.

It's in the pillow that I put under your head when the world is weighing you down

It's in the courage that'd make me jump in to save you, even if I knew I'd drown

It's in the foreign language that I learned to study your depth

It's in all the times I show up at your door when I know you need strength 

It's in the bread I toast along with the soup

It's woven into each retro song that I listen to on a loop

It's whisked in your favorite coffee that I make for you

It's in picking up random things to gift you because they remind me of you

It's never in the words that I'll speak to you

Always hidden in plain sight

It's in the sunshine I send your way when you're feeling blue

It's all the nights I spend making sure you're alright.