how to eat literature? by Anvii Mishra

on friday evenings, 

we toss away our salads, do away with our chores, take days off the gym, and run away.

we cuddle up in our warm worn-out quilts to eat literature.

poetry and stories and songs- nothing is too out of bounds.  

the correct way as i’d say

is to devour each word, each exact punctuation, and each metaphor till satiety.

get the taste of 

that cranberry-like bitter mystery thrill,

that sweet maple syrup-like romantic poetry, 

and that lemon-like limerick too.

is it silly to believe that this literature keeps me alive?

 i don’t think so.

these abbreviated clicks and beeps of our tongues narrate possibilities that exist beyond you and i. 

i could be rambling on about the space and stars.

i could be singing about the cat that broke in and ate all the poetry in the kitchen.

i could be complaining about that shade of blue i hate.

meaning is loaded inside of every word like the sugary center fill of a bonbon. meaning drips from

each sentence like frosting on a freshly cut cake. 

but the point is,  literature is delicious.

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Anvii is a young creative writer from India. She currently lives in Noida and studies at Lotus Valley International School. She hopes to pursue psychology in college.