Coriandrum sativum is an
annual herb cultivated
for its seeds as well as its
tender, oval, jade leaves.
All parts of the plant
are fit-to-eat,
like ancient
fairy
tales.

Pull the stalks out just when the fruits are
juicy, but threatening to die.
Sun-dry, winnow, thrash with sticks.
Veggies can cauterize.
Sap is like migrants,
glued onto each
other, on
their way
home.

Grab a bunch of dhania patta,
drown in a bowl of tap water.
Twirl for seventeen minutes;
WhatsApp-Twitter-Facebook.
The dirt will loosen—
impurities.
Use your own
judgement.
Feel.

For chutneys and curries, depending
on your recipe, you may find
the heads give a nice flavour.
An old gamchha under
the cutting board gives
proper traction.
Important
to be
safe.

Coriander is susceptible
to accidental negligence.
Herbs are moody, like young love.
Use a gentle motion—
the mezzaluna
a lullaby.
Rock the steel.
Plants don’t
bleed.

Sahana Ahmed is a fiction writer and poet based in Gurugram, India. She is the author of ‘Combat Skirts’ (Juggernaut Books, 2018; Quignog, 2018). Visit her online at http://www.sahanaahmed.com. She is on Twitter and Instagram at @schahm.