Baon by Czaerra Ucol

love has many forms

and one of them is baon

this love does not come in a valentine’s day heart-shaped box

it comes in

old tupperware containers

yellowed from years of use

day after day

filled with the smell and taste

of a place that asks you to stay a while

to take off your shoes and put on your slippers

and relax

this love is only as shallow

as the crockpot or rice cooker it comes from

this love is all-consuming

while you’re consuming,

it fills you with a sense of belonging

a sense that somewhere

someone out there cares for you

someone loves you so much

that they went to the asian supermarket

searched for the right meat and sauce

marinated and cooked it all for hours

added the proper side dishes

and even remembered to add

extra ilocano vinegar -

just the way you like it -

all for you to take a bite

and remember what coming home means

so next time you wanna tell someone

“i love you”

cook them up a little something

pack it up all nice and neat

because the way to our heart is food

and we all know filipinos got heart problems

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Czaerra’s (they/them) Contact Info:

Insta: @czaerra

Twitter:@czaerra

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Originally published September 2019.