African Poem: My Jollof Rice

by Daniel Nkado

They said I can’t cook nothing
That all meals hate me
The kitchen hates me
Any attempt will be mockery

My mom screamed
My sister yelled
Even the tiny bony dog grinned
Daniel, get out of the kitchen now!

Behind their eyes
Behind their guise
Behind their yells
I crept in and I put the pot on fire

I added the rice
I added the brine
Onions and tomatoes and a little bit of something else
And then some other things elses.

A few more cubes and I was done
Guess what I created
A fair beautiful maiden
Yellow as the sun, fragrant as thyme

My jollof rice, I called her
She smiled at me, I smiled back
Then she shook her head and said
Only if you hadn’t added so many cubes!

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19 Comments on “African Poem: My Jollof Rice”

  1. I know some one that not only like but loves jollof rice;;- Stella Korkus!
    As for me, Jollof rice is the ONLY food that i can cook!

  2. I hate cooking jollof rice too, can easily go south. What I lack in that department though I make up in ofe Akwu.. yet to taste one that's as nice as mine. I dare to say none…..

  3. Wow. This is so cool. I wonder if there is any means by which I can get the permission to upload it to my blog giftedpens.com . Please, is there a way?

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