Image Courtesy of David Joyce. Shared via a Creative Commons license.
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Browning Meat
When I was of age and ready to leave home
my grandmother took me to the cotton tree
so the ancestral spirits could witness
and sanction her blessing.
She spoke slowly.
She spoke deliberately.
“When you brown meat,
you place it in hot oil;
When it starts to make that loud hissing
sound
you must add water.
Keep adding water until
the meat is nicely browned on the outside
and tender on the inside.”
A light breeze trembled
the leaves.
She smiled.
“That is how life is.
When you are placed in hot oil
be patient
keep going
you will be ready soon.”
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M.A. Brown was born and raised in Jamaica. Currently she lives in Brazil. She is the author of the children’s book Stella and the Star People.