Singku Tempra Di Nanna (Nanna’s Five Spices)
Shane Carroll

Singku Tempra Di Nanna

I
alu, ja pilah
kuzeh tudu ta komesa kung
Nanna sa forsa

II
chili, ja telah
tomah di jarding di
Nanna sa devasang

III
sabola, ja chinchang
kura tudu duensa di
Nanna sa batemintu

IV
safrang, ja po
kumiria fikah alegri chuma
Nanna sa kalor

V
kwentru, ja kortah
eli sa klor bida ta kabah
Nanna sa buniteza

tempra tudu ki Nanna ta sibrih
tempu tudu ki Nanna ta kuzeh
sempri prubah chuma
Nanna sa amor.

Nanna’s Five Spices

I
garlic, pounded
all meals begin with
Nanna’s strength

II
chilies, sliced
plucked from the garden of
Nanna’s devotion

III
onions, chopped
the cure for all illnesses out of
Nanna’s concern

IV
turmeric, powdered
dishes turn bright like
Nanna’s warmth

V
coriander, cut
her favourite colours complete
Nanna’s beauty

all the spices that Nanna uses
all the times that Nanna cooks
always taste like
Nanna’s love.

Shane Carroll writes for both work and play. By day he’s a copywriter specialising in digital and social media marketing. By night he’s a poet, punster, and everything in between. He is the co-author of Ki Sorti and author of Stories by the River, a poetry collection set around the Singapore River.