As an Eastend pikin,

the only breakfast I knew

was a hot pot

of grandma’s kol rɛs

Spoons will break

before krawo goes to waste

On the other side of a six-hour flight;

My first breakfast in this foreign land,

Grandma’s pot is replaced

by a microwave

wetin dis?

Porridge!

Rɛs nɔ de?

if na rɛs yu want, a go mek am fɔ yu!

No firewood, no smoke,

no matches, no struggle

My kol rɛs is piping hot

in under five minutes

Love is starting your day

with a taste of home

but this plate

lacks grandma’s touch

because as kwik as i de wam kol rɛs,

microwave nɔ de mek krawo.

Abu B. Yillah is a London-based British-Sierra Leonean interdisciplinary artist with a primary interest in poetry and filmmaking. Alongside his creative work, Abu co-curates the Sierra Leone Arts & Culture festival (#SLACfest), a celebration of work from Sierra Leoneans across the world.