By Anita Nahal
PROMPT—Ask Me.
Brewed slowly the good ole broth
Leisurely like the walk of a sloth
Cold was Pythia’s war soup
Fortune teller had no stoop
Brewed slowly the good ole broth.
Lentil or meat in a steaming hot pot
Reeked heavy and was badly sought
Remnants of birds in the ladle
Ramifications recurring without a paddle
Lentil or meat in a steaming hot pot.
Fortune teller, grumpy and displeased
As if from torture she wanted release
Omikuji seekers looked for help
Thin paper strips flew by in yelp
Fortune teller, grumpy and displeased.
Oh! The irony of hand’s dealt cards
Somewhere a poet sat writing these bards
Teller in poverty
Seekers in royalty
Oh, the irony of hand’s dealt cards.
* Pythia: Pythia was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and was its oracle.
*Omikuji: Paper strips with fortune written on them at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan
Anita Nahal is an Indian American poet, flash fictionist, children’s writer, columnist, and professor. Anita has three books of poetry, one of flash fictions, four for children, and three edited anthologies to her credit. Her third book of poetry, What’s wrong with us Kali women, was released by Kelsay Books in August 2021. Anita teaches at the University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC. Two of Anita’s books are prescribed in a course on multiculturalism and immigration at the University of the Utrecht, The Netherlands. More on her at: https://anitanahal.wixsite.com/anitanahal