Small and delicate pasta
in a ceramic bowl
Subtle, but comforting flavour
But more...
-
Since HG Wells wrote The Time Machine
Man has been obssessed with time travel
With every decade since the books's release
There has been new theories, and ideas
About the possibility and impossibility
of breaking down the walls of time and space
The fabric of reality
Bending the laws of physics
To attain command over time
So many scientists
So many more (seemingly) intelligent than me
Have tried and failed to conquer time
Without stopping to realise
A simple, effective and inexpensive way
To enter into the unknown, to say to hell with physics
To help with the laws of reality, time, space and everything
To take a trip back in time
Sits in a bowl
A ceramic bowl with chicken stock and dainty pasta
That's all I need to travel in time
The physical part is not important
I travel in my mind, heart, and soul
My emotional self is back there
The moment that soothing aroma hits my olfactory nerves
The moment that subtle taste coats my tongue
The moment I chew and swallow
I am there
In your house, your kitchen, your dining room
I can see
Everything so clearly, so vividly
A cruel twist though
I can't touch, can't reach out and hug
There's always a cruel twist or catch
To time travel
Whether using the Delorean, TARDIS or a bowl of pastina
There are rules
You need to follow
That I need to follow
each time
I can't interact or change anything
I can only observe and experience
Then
When the bowl is empty
I'm back in the present
and you're not
But the memories
remain.
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Note: I had this in my drafts as a potential for the Ode to Ordinary challenge, but never went through with it. I wanted to showcase how something so plain and ordinary can have such a significant impact through nostalgia and its emotional connections. And wanted to take it in a different direction than normal and bring in the sci-fi element.
My late, great Nonna used to cook humble, but amazing and tasty Italian food. One of the best things she ever made was pastina (small pasta) with chicken stock cubes. Every time I make it at home, I'm taken right back to her house. So this is inspired by her and the food.
Hope you enjoy it!
Some other things you might enjoy, include:
You can also check out the rest of my work here.
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!
Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!
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Comments (14)
Missed this one. This was much fun, clever and tongue in cheek at times! Loved the note and dedication at the end as well. ☺️
I love the thought of time travel & this is so brilliant & true! We can travel anywhere & time in our imaginations… what a great blessing! Thanks.
I love how you turned something as simple as eating a bowl of pasta into something so profound!
Mmm-mmm good, mmm-mmm good, that's what Nonna's soup is, mmm-mmm good!
Wow, Paul! I wish you would have entered this!!! This was so amazing! The senses are such powerful time traveling tools and you wrote it so perfectly! This was sweet, emotional, and sad, all at the same time. Brilliant and a winning piece in my book!! 💫💞
I enjoyed this, especially "A ceramic bowl with chicken stock and dainty pasta/That's all I need to travel in time." 👏
Whoaaa, I really loved this concept. All this while, we have already been travelling in time without knowing it. Like pastina for you, I gotta figure out what is it for me. This was such a brilliant work!
Taste and smell are such a force in memory, all it can take is that cherished bowl, to take you away to other times. Sounds delicious! And far more real than other forms of time travel... Round of applause for pastina!
I loved this one, Paul! Such a creative way to highlight the power of seemingly ordinary moments and memories in our lives.
A novel take on time travel... and so true! 💙 Anneliese
Exactly! Real people can travel in time whenever they feel like at any time!
Wow. Wonderful. Love it
This is so unique, and that made it so so enjoyable!!! Love your distinctively you writing voice ❤️✨👌😇 My last read before sleep! (But that’s probably not going to be true 😂)
I love how you describe how you already have the ability to time travel through memories. Amazing.