The Holiday Maker
Everything has to be just right
She gets out her cook books the previous night.
Makes copious notes putting together the special day
That remembers the passings of our lives’ way.
The little dynamo proceeds not to be disturbed.
Selecting the keepsakes collected laying undisturbed
Appropriate to the special holiday symbols turning cloudy days to sunnies
From reindeer, to turkeys to Easter Bunnies
No nonsense, no hanging around the kitchen door
No licking bowls, no sampling the dough.
Rules on cooking day were strict and violations were scolded,
As each holiday production unfolded
Trips to markets; journeys to gift shops to flower shops,
She sought to round out menus just right, her holidays were never flops.
As enticing baking aromas filled the old homeplace,
Pesky kitties, furred and human hung about curious at ritual taking place.
Bustling about, red hair frizzed from heat,
Toothpicks ever handy to sample a crust neat,
Rescue strategies to save a sticky cake stubborn in its pan
Always ready to be deployed, she executed with love her holiday plan.
The long holiday table, old leaves stained with memories past,
Long since needing replacing but host to gatherings that still last
In memory as children grow up and leave
Awaited its annual set on holiday eve.
As turkey,ham, lamb, squash,taters, yams beans and sprouts simmered
Old dining room and parlor with seductions of the palate shimmered,
She would lay a clean tablecloth, set candles and deploy
The talismans of the season, the sleigh of holiday cards, the gay bunnies’ joy.
As children grown return to the homeplace,
Uncles and nieces, nephews and cousins, brothers and sisters took their place,
The holiday maker, presided over a reality of love, a feast
Renewing love for one another anew.
I miss the holiday makers, those hostesses of love’s reality
The old homeplace with antiques and sagging old armchair
That would say, come on in, stranger you’re always loved here.
Enjoy the hearty fare and tastes seasoned unique with love’s sincerity.
