not just to each other,
but to couples who mirrored them
in Beckenham, Feitham, Potters Bar.
Each household displayed its treasures
Bokhara rugs made rich red pools
on the fitted carpets while
framed Punjabi girls, woven
from straw, gold on black
danced above three-piece suites.
Marble inlaid boxes shimmered
on coffee tables like fragments
of the Amber Palace, the Taj Mahal.
But each couple's Indian food
was always subtly different -
the combination of spices unique.
And this was a joy for us.
