From The Household Of Turon To The Household Of Challah Bread

In a household

of Shabbat candles,

challah bread,

yarmulkes,

tefillin,

and Judaic art pieces,

I'd hear every word

of the language

of the households

of turon

every single day.

The one word

gwapa

followed me everywhere

like a buzzing bumblebee.

Gwapa

was the word for

beautiful, charming, precious-

gwapa

was the type

of little girl

I was born to be.

Another word

sweetened my Jewish home

with real tropical warmth-

honey-koo.

Honey-koo-

a Tagalog term

that'd kill every child

with real kindness and affection.

It was the word

that fixed a little girl's soul

and kept it

stored inside her.

Those two words

mixed up the household

like peanut butter and honey.

It was a Jilipino one

with tons of flavour,

spice,

hospitality,

love,

and closeness.

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IG name: @tdwrites24

Terms to remember

Yarmulke: A head cap that a Jewish boy wears. A Jewish boy is to wear a yarmulke, as a means to remind himself that G-d is watching over him.

Tefillin: A set of small black leather containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law.

Turon: A traditional Filipino dessert. It's basically a caramelized banana spring roll.

Shabbat: The Jewish day of rest, which occurs on a Saturday. On Friday evening, the evening before the actual day of rest, we light Shabbat candles.

Jilipino: It's a pun I came up with on the spot. It basically means "Jewish- Filipino”.

Honey-koo: It means "my honey", in Tagalog.