Whiskey on the rocks
Writing
Kalpika S
the blood orange that i split open,
nauseated crimson on my palms
chartering the course of my veins
the sanguine sap dripped down my elbow and arms.
stinging a decade-old festering wound,
an urgent approaching torrent toward my shoulders
searing a flamboyant scar from a charred fork
baby pink, holding potatoes and peas from when I remember.
the glued ceramic plates my mother cherished as legacy,
are stained with pungent curry and broken in fury
by a father whose anger brewed like cardamom tea
the saffron ichor of the fruit, effusing at my neck creepily.
acrid-smelling nectar seethes my lips open wide
my greasy fingernails digging deeper into the gash
at first tart, then an oddly familiar battery acidic
like citrus to a cut, a memory’s quick flash.
now and then i revisit the kitchens of my childhood,
a carnival of scent and shame in a simmering pot
kneading on the past like stubborn dough
each delicacy pulls me back into what I forgot.
Concept Note
My poem explores how food acts as a vessel for memory, identity, and childhood experience. Through the visceral imagery of a blood orange, curry-stained plates, and kitchen rituals, it traces the emotional and sensory traces of family, trauma, and nostalgia. The poem engages with food not just as sustenance, but as a living archive that carries the flavors, emotions, and histories of the past, reflecting the ways in which meals and ingredients shape who we are and what we remember.
Artist Bio
Kalpika S is a writer and copywriter based in Bengaluru. She studied English and works across creative nonfiction, essays, and experimental forms. Her writing explores memory, family, and the emotional architecture of the self.