Jasmine Ng is a writer from Toronto, Canada. She most recently won second prize in the 2023 Toronto Star Short Story Contest for her piece “Fish and Forgiveness.” Her personal essays and short stories appear in The Strand Magazine, The Decent Exposure Journal, and Social Distanziner.

Do not leave your love out on the counter

Do not leave your love out on the counter to cool, unattended and congealed
Leave it in the enamelled pot, even with the stuck-on bits
Let the residual heat emanate.
Let the scent of sweet garlic, green tomato, sharp chili
Mingle even with the window cracked open,
The summer evening stealing in to tickle the candleflame.

I will be back soon.
Let me walk into the lamplight at the end of the hall,
Lay my coat on the arm of the expectant chair.
Lift the lid of the pot, the condensation beading a sign
Of things kept warm and tended-to.

Do not leave the bed, air slipping around your loose-pyjama ankles
Pull the blanket up, the frayed seam brushing your cheek
Let the cat settle in the angle between your shins and the tops of your feet.
The rain is coming soon—I can smell it.
I will slide the window shut and turn down the lights,
Hold the bowl to me, a circle of warmth
Pressed into my shirt, my skin.