Daryl Lim Wei Jie
I love that you’re on the menu
you are a crisp tender croissant I stick my big toe in
you are a chilled crooked cucumber I ice my swelling nipple with
you are a saucy beef bourguignon I’d like to have a bone … with
you are the perfect peppery stir-fry I exfoliate my cracked ankles with
you are a glistening pillow of biryani I plant my face in
you are a sodden staggering tiramisu I use to moisturise my inner ear
you are a nugget of dripping sweet & sour pork I hoard as reserve currency
you are an oozing double quarter pounder I jam the creaking front door with
you are a nutty tart tub of hummus I use as a face mask
you are an oily hunk of iberico I use to keep my lips fat and beautiful
you are a great reeking gorgonzola I scare the children with at Halloween
you are a pure unsullied bowl of pho I soak in like an ancient shipwreck
you are a capacious cream-filled éclair I clobber the rabid cockatoos with
you are a tall dark glass of pinot noir I swish around my untrained mouth
you are a thick blackout curtain of lasagne I use to keep out the voyeuring sun
you are a sticky tacky ball of mochi I stuff in my ears to quiet the screams
you are a filthy bubbling hotpot I drown the swarming termites in
you are a bright cloud of cotton candy I hide my darkest secrets in
you are a macho chunk of gammon I cradle for comfort, giggling at my luck
you are a wet slick slice of sashimi I plaster on my forehead to cool my fever
you are an overripe stinking peach I could tongue all day & night
& if you are none of these things,
let us just have a simple breakfast where
I toast your brownbread cheeks,
between my wrinkling but still warm thighs
& butter ourselves shyly with morning.
Daryl Lim Wei Jie 林伟杰 is a poet, editor and translator from Singapore. He is the author of Anything but Human, a finalist for the 2022 Singapore Literature Prize. He won the Young Artist Award in 2023, Singapore’s highest award for young art practitioners. www.darylwjlim.com