Poet’s Corner – Concoctions

Helen Bournas-Ney recalls the creativity that happened in her kitchen and wishes that it continue and extend throughout her children's lives.

Imagine hunger. And a field of white. 
Time to improvise a meal. Start with tofu,
slivered almonds, pineapple and thyme,
scallions, ginger, waking rice from last night’s
meal; throw all into the wok and sizzle.

Inside the cupboard where the spice jars stand
a bit askew, inside the fridge’s near-forgotten
lowest shelf, inside one’s savoriest of notions,
happy accidents may sometimes happen.     

(Take down the long long spoon of memory, and stir):

it’s dinnertime, and you, two heralds of invention
by appetite and hope propelled, race down the stairs:

Moms making one of her concoctions!

A land of plenty and of detour waiting at your plate;
at times it ended in a skeptic’s wonder as you ate,
but often ended in delight. Although I didn’t always
get it right, I tried, somehow, to make it new.

For you I wish a color-storm of medley, a thing
undreamt, improbable concoctions. (I hope that you
have more of these than I had ever dared.) And when
some unnamed craving grabs you, holds you in its grip – 

travel just beyond the treasured recipe, the measuring cup,
to make that unsought perfect dish

                                          drizzling over it
a sauce of light
light (lightest…)
serendip.

      Bigstock photo by quintanilla

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