Is it that hint of scent, that trace,
That fleeting airborne draft?
Or that glance as walking past the glass
A caught reflection holds me
Briefly in a pause as I recall
Expressions passed?
Or is it as I pull the dough
And draw the flour?
My dusted hands become her hands.
Her almond nails dance on the board,
Deftly moulding into shape,
To fit so plumply in the pan.
A hem let down, a stitch unpicked,
A button sewn, a frayed edge caught –
Weak echoes of her needle craft.
Water sprayed upon dry clothes,
Heated fabric fills the air
And there she stands, iron in hand.
I see my fingers rub my thumb –
Her gestures seep,
Invade my skin.
Fingers laced behind my back –
A steady gait, a quiet style –
Her walk now mine.
What once was loose, feels tauter now.
It pulls me back. That trace, that hint.
And time reveals that nothing’s lost –
The past breathes gently on my face.
Linking this to Sarah’s prompt at d’Verse Poets tonight to write a cooking-inspired poem.(https://dversepoets.com/2022/01/11/tuesday-poetics-food). To be honest, the cooking aspect is a tenuous link to a poem that is really about the enduring links we keep within us of those long gone. My mother was an excellent baker, however, and her lemon meringue pie was second to none!
I once wrote a daft rhyme about it:
Love Poem to a Lemon Meringue Pie
Is it your lemon that I love so much?
With the zing of the zest on my tongue.
Or the crisp-topped meringue, like a cloud of delight,
To your sugary spell I succumb.
Your pastry is perfect in every respect
As it melts in my amorous mouth.
With passion I love thee, you sweet peaky pie,
You’re a dessert divine there’s no doubt.
So lovely!
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Thank you!
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The dessert poem is my favourite of the two
Much love…
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Well, it is my favourite dessert 😋
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The trace of Flour is magical. Great word choice keeps the theme alive as you show how immortal some traditions truly are. Wonderful.
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Thank you so much K. 🙏
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You’re very welcome.
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Yes, she does live on in you! Well done. That lemon pie sounds delicious!
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Thank you Dwight. (It is, thoroughly yummy if made properly 😋).
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I am sure that is so!
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Echoes of different sentiments here, as you find memories and abilities between thumb and forefingr, and iron too…soft words, very nice…
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Thank you Ain – it’s often the little things that take me back.
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I like the way your hands echo your mother’s – the linkage is delicately done.
Wow, I haven’t had lemon meringue pie in years. A childhood staple…
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Thank you Sarah 😊.
(Sadly, I can’t match the way my mother used to make it).
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Oh, Marion. This is just gorgeous. I sometimes see my father’s hands in mine… I get this.
❤
David
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We carry our parents with us in so many ways ♥
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You’ve made me fall in love with the lemon meringue pie as well!
❤
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Haha – it is the queen of all pies!
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This is so profoundly beautiful in all the little details of how she lives on in you, Marion! I especially love these lines:
‘My dusted hands become her hands.
Her almond nails dance on the board,’
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Thank you so much Ingrid!
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Having become a baker myself during the pandemic I must admit it didn’t come from my mother… great to have such memories.
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Memories are partly what we’re made of – so, yes, its good to have ones like these. Thank you Björn.
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Such warmth and wonderful flavor to your words, Marion.
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Thank you Lisa ❤
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You’re very welcome.
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Each stanza, the cooking stanza, the sewing, the ironing. Their is comfort and safety in these beautifully expressed memories. I very much like both your poems here.
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Thank you so much 😊.
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And my correction to the spelling of “there” is comfort ….
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Or is it as I pull the dough
And draw the flour?
My dusted hands become her hands.
Love knowing the various chores in emulating our mother’s expert hands in whipping up a number of dishes. Certainly not easy but necessary in the long run. Thanks for sharing Marion!
Hank
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My pleasure Hank. Thank you for visiting.😊
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My goodness this is good! I especially admire; “I see my fingers rub my thumb –Her gestures seep,
Invade my skin. Fingers laced behind my back –A steady gait, a quiet style –Her walk now mine.” 💝💝
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Thank you Sanaa. So pleased you liked it 😊.
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