There Is Happiness In A Bowl Of Shrimp
By Sarah, Year 12
I’m peeling a bowl of shrimp while my mother has a massive jackfruit
that she’s intensely trying to get into. Her eyes light up the kitchen
when she sees a glimpse of the yellow fruit inside, and suddenly she’s
like a little monkey in the wild trying to salvage through hunted
fruit.
“Mum, relax, it’s like it’s your last day alive,”
And she’s there eating her reward with two hands, “It could be!”
Her hands covered in sticky mess, how do I even tell this silly monkey
she is the reason I find love in small things?
Because she is hanging out with her best friend and all I notice
from afar is that her eyes sparkle a heaven when she smiles and her
laughter is louder
than what I’m used to hearing.
Because I see pieces of her crafted within me – and I write because
I am proud.
How could I tell this woman she is the embodiment
of a little glimmer of yellow jackfruit in a bed of weeds?
This poem, There Is Happiness In A Bowl Of Shrimp, is an excerpt from orange peelings, a poetry collection written by Sarah Dee in Story Factory’s Year of Poetry program. In this program, young people commit to attending workshops for a year and write their very own poetry collection, which is professionally edited, published and launched into the Sydney literary landscape.