Love is like potato chips

Spoken Word by Shivram Gopinath
6 March 2016

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On a quiet, starless night
Under the harsh glare of 7-11 lights
I allowed myself
A few minutes of mush.

When I purchased some potato chips
And ate them
I realised

That love is like potato chips.

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You know it’s no good for you
But you don’t stop craving it

You struggle to open up a bag,
Much like a person.
You sometimes have to use your teeth.

Much like love,
You are almost always disappointed
By how little chips there are

In that great big bag.

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And other hands try to get some.
And you can’t stop them.
The potato chips are for sharing,
Says the label on the front.

But hey!
There are plenty of potato chips in the supermarket
Healthy but bland.
Hoitey-toitey oven-baked hand-cut gourmet
Expensive, but easy Lay’s
The kind which no one can eat just one of
And the occasional Hot & Spicy

Love can make you do stupid things.

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Like say
You can be my chips
I can be your salsa
Don’t forget the whipped cream
You can double-dip me.

Love can give you the runs.

Love too,
Has a best-before date
Artificial colouring
Flavour enhancers
And has no chance of retaining freshness
Without preservatives.

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Still, you are sad when it’s over.
And only its delicious memory
Lingers on your fingers.

Which is perhaps why
I find myself storing my heart
In a cool, dry place

Away from sunlight.

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AUTHOR BIO:
Shivram Gopinath is a writer and spoken word performer. His work has been heard at the Singapore Writers Festival, Singapore Heritage Fest, Spore Art Salon, Lit Up Festival and numerous dingy bars. A proud member of the PAP (Party Action People), a rolling poetry troupe, he is also the 2014 and 2015 Singapore National Poetry Slam Champion.

Poem by Shivram. Photos by Marc