Sweet, not Sour | Teen Ink

Sweet, not Sour

January 17, 2014
By SElahi BRONZE, Burr Ridge, Illinois
SElahi BRONZE, Burr Ridge, Illinois
4 articles 1 photo 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."


It is bliss to end up cooking in
the kitchen with my older sisters, who
no longer live at home. The elder of the two
keeps one hand on her left hip and the other
on the spoon that is stirring the aromatic
concoction on the stove, while the other, a sous
chef, patiently runs water over the
vegetables until they are clean, humming to herself
all the while. Watching in the background, waiting
until it is my turn to contribute to the meal, I take in
the image of the two sisters, working as
one. Perhaps it especially seems like bliss since
these are the two people I look up to
most, working together to teach me something
new. I am reminded of countless days, carefully
watching each of my sisters' every move, absorbing
and learning the ropes of life. I watch the elder and then
the younger graduate high school, watch them
grow up and pave a path for me. Finally, I am handed the
clean, damp vegetables. Now it is my turn. And as I firmly grip
the handle of the freshly-sharpened kitchen
knife, I realize. I am not just watching the machine
work, I am a piece of the machine,
the machine made of three sisters, each of whom
needs the other two to function. I am not the
assistant, I am the engine, the piece that
motivates the others to work, that gives the others
a reason to keep doing better. We work as
one, completing and serving the meal that is
called ‘sweet and sour' but for us
is just sweet, a mission accomplished
as a team. I sit at the table, content with
our masterpiece, and forever a piece of the
machine called sisterhood
as my family digs in for dinner.



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This article has 3 comments.


SElahi BRONZE said...
on Jan. 21 2014 at 6:37 pm
SElahi BRONZE, Burr Ridge, Illinois
4 articles 1 photo 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Thanks so much for the feedback! I appreciate it :)

Anna45 SILVER said...
on Jan. 20 2014 at 1:01 pm
Anna45 SILVER, Allentown, New Jersey
8 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
But I knew that was what he wanted, even as the lot echoed with the cracks of the shot, even as I begged silently-please not him, not him and Johnny both-I knew he would be dead, because Dally Wintson wanted to be dead and he always got what he wanted

OMG.... I just love this. You totally captured sisterhood perfectly, while incorporating symbolism and figurative language... It's just amazing. Thanks for sharing :)

on Jan. 19 2014 at 10:27 am
Metalhead36 SILVER, Amherst, Massachusetts
8 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. - Edgar Allan Poe

It's deep and it's metaphorical, two things that flow very well in terms of description. It flows well, but the sentence structure gets a little repetitive in the middle, which hurts the deeper tone of the piece. Overall, very well done.   I just posted a poem called "Barbie" to the website, would you mind reading and commenting?