Moong dal halwa

No heavenly manna 

Or a nectar induced

sweetmeat from a 

royal kitchen could rival

the moong dal halwa 

made by my Amma, 

which she cooked painstakingly for hours

as the daal paste separated

from the desi ghee 

and the sugar syrup 

soaked in the fragrance

of cardamoms fused in, 

moving those frail but 

hardworking arms 

turning the gigantic

spatula in a colossal wok 

on the make shift Chulha

in our weedy backyard.