One More Flavor Here

[Verse 1] At seven, i chalked the menu on a board, One borrowed courtyard, twelve mismatched plates. You brought tamarind, she brought smoked chile, And someone set down peaches from the valley. I turned the little burner low and said, “Tell me what this tastes like where you’re from.” By the time the first small bowls went round, Strangers had begun to trade their stories. [Pre-Chorus] A pinch from here, a squeeze from there, The evening found its own recipe. [Chorus] Pass it down, pass it around, Every place has a place at this table. Citrus, cumin, sweet corn browned, New friends making something we couldn’t name before. Under strings of little lights, the whole wide world draws near— Pass it down, pass it around, There’s room for one more flavor here. [Verse 2] Mina showed luis how her aunt would toast The fennel seeds before they met the oil. He answered with a sauce from home, A bright green spoonful, sharp and full of summer. Someone laughed, “that needs another lime,” And passed the bowl along without a vote. I watched the careful first tastes turn to grins, As every plate became a conversation. [Pre-Chorus] A little heat, a little sweet, And names we’d never heard before. [Chorus] Pass it down, pass it around, Every place has a place at this table. Citrus, cumin, sweet corn browned, New friends making something we couldn’t name before. Under strings of little lights, the whole wide world draws near— Pass it down, pass it around, There’s room for one more flavor here. [Bridge] When the last course came, we stayed a while, Comparing kitchen tales beneath the bulbs. No one asked whose recipe had won; We’d made a new one, all of us. [Final chorus] Pass it down, pass it around, Every place has a place at this table. Citrus, cumin, sweet corn browned, Old maps opening up across the floor. Under strings of little lights, we found what we came for— Pass it down, pass it around, There’s room for one more flavor here. [Outro] One more flavor here, One more story to share.