This is the one time of year that I bake. I make only a couple of the many cookies my mother used to make at Christmas. Even after many years, this is not in my comfort zone, but I don't want to give them up. Maybe I need to make sure the memories are well done.
The Reluctant Baker
I am the reluctant baker.
I carry on by making your
Christmas cookies each year.
I should never have been
more than your assistant.
As a young child,
I only kept you company
while you did all the work.
Later, I helped with the easy parts,
like prep work or filling and folding.
I never made the dough.
No, that was your domain.
I will always remember the year
I came home and realized
there would be no cookies
unless I was the one who
mixed all the ingredients.
I did all the work as you watched,
able only to keep me company.
Now, I have friends who count on me
to make the cookies each Christmas.
They have become mine.
For me, they will always be yours,
but not quite.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
The Reluctant Baker
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
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Michele - I remember those cookies. This is beautiful. Peg
ReplyDeleteAwwww. Sweet sweet post. This was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kenya, and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteVery nice! So many memories tied up with Christmas baking.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with the TALU!
Thanks, Anne, and thanks for hosting TALU.
DeleteThis rings true for so many, love this.
ReplyDeleteFound you over at TALU :)
Thanks, Angela. It's about time for me to start baking!
DeleteThaks for stopping by from TALU.
Ah, the passing of the spatula! Yes, I inherited it from my grandmother. It skipped that one generation. Since I've been back in Hawaii, I've been too preoccupied with my writing to do much in the way of either cooking or baking. But my pans and equipment are getting a good work out with my daughters in Ann Arbor. I can see from the FaceBook postings that they are sharing our traditions with a diverse group of friends. My grandmother would get so much joy in that. TALU-ho!
ReplyDeleteI am sure she would, Lara. One of the cookies I make is supposed to be similar to something my grandma made. The story goes that my aunts went on a search for a recipe and settled on one as being the closest to the original. Thaks for stopping by from TALU.
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