He wasn't a Hindu chef,
But he liked to curry favor
And subject himself to the scrutiny
Of those who really were beneath him.
I often watched him from my dream and shook my head
And ached for him to shed
His invisible caste.

What was the bitter, pungeant flavor
That made his native tongue seek out
Such auto-deprecating terms?
Some old world herb his mother overused, no doubt.

-jenn