Poetry and Cooking!

We had a great weekend. I went to the dentist yesterday morning to get my teeth cleaned and my new dentist said I had a Rolls Royce mouth and all I needed to do was get the oil changed every six months. He is so proud of the condition of my teeth...so am I.

Aaron and Mom can't say the same thing, however. They both need alot of dental work and will be taking the rest of this year and most of the next to get their work done. $$$$$$$ to say the very least!

We went to Johnny's Chop House again yesterday for dinner...can't seem to stay away. It's so good! Aaron ordered his usual 1/2 dozen raw oysters. We all had a $5 Cosmo special and then started off with chicken rosemary soup with peas. I had the pork chops and a sweet potato. Mom had shrimp diablo and Aaron had shrimp alfredo.

Our favorite waitress, Mary, and I are now trading poetry regularly so it was my turn and I read her "The Eleventh Hour." It's a poem I wrote in November 1995 when my life didn't seem to be going anywhere at the time and I felt I needed to accomplish something. I also was feeling a sense of urgency. The poem goes:

When the moon at eleven
hovers over the fields,
when the wispy clouds
lace the foggy light,
when the last few grains of sand
threaten to fall
through the curved glass,
I take a stand...
against time.
I reach for hat and gloves.
Bursting through the door
into the brisk cold,
my face catches the wind.
Coming alive again
in the eleventh hour -
time ticking away.
I strangle a chrysanthemum
with my clenched fist,
feeling strange,
light,
as if floating
like those alluring clouds
that snap under my nose,
bringing the scents of old,
wet leaves, eternal dampness,
everything cold, crisp, crackling.
I walk on under the midnight sun,
my beacon, my guide.
Enlivened by this chill
striking a balance in my being,
commanding my lungs,
pumping my heart,
a surge of energy prevails!
Feet pound pavement,
stamping out the ache inside.
The final stretch toward home,
the race almost run,
yet, running out of time.
Needing to seize the finish line,
I circle around the bend
with a tear stained face,
bursting through the door
into the safe warmth of home.

At dinner Saturday, we had a long talk about my poetry. Aaron had a great idea. He said that I should make a collection of my poems and write a short bio about what was going through my mind and what was happening in my life at the time. He and Mom are really encouraging me to do this. And after only a short time to think about it, I think they are right and I will be striving to do this very soon.

Poetry and cooking! Cooking will be my poetry in motion!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for my new appliances to be installed. The project is coming together very nicely and it's already beautiful - even with just the cabinets up. Today Aaron and I bought a stainless steel toaster and deep fryer and a griddle for the top of the stove, a pizza stone and peel from a restaurant supplier, and we're researching coffee/espresso combo machines. I am going to dedicate myself to learning how to make everything. I will have no excuse and I don't want one! I really want to be able to say I can make anything from a crown roast to a souffle to pasta made from scratch, an apple pie, soup, sauce, all different ethnic dishes, french fries (healthy), homemade pizza, and the list goes on.