Dian Duchin Reed

Mother Tongue

I inherited my tongue from my mother. Not my language, but my sense of taste—I’ve always savored food, the more unexpected the better. So did Mom, but because she disliked travel, she was limited to dusty-lidded jars of mango, halvah from the deli, charlotte russes in cardboard cups…

after a long trip
learning not to stir
the Turkish coffee

---

About the Author

Dian Duchin Reed is an award-winning writer whose poems, articles, essays, and photographs have appeared in many publications. Her books include Medusa Discovers Styling Gel (poetry) and Dao De Jing: Laozi’s Timeless Wisdom (translated from the Chinese). Learn more at dianduchinreed.com.

---