We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

17.10.19

Getting Through It



Getting Through It

Adam and I shop for lunch.
I told him I could make us an omelette
but he said, ‘No no, don’t use your food.’
(My sons like to spoil me
when they come as guests to my house.)

We bring the shopping back home 
and he makes us sandwiches
of sourdough bread, tomatoes,
roast beef, avocado and curly lettuce.
They are fresh and good.

Then we get up and go
on the long drive to Nimbin,
to Letitia’s memorial service –
our not daughter, not sister
by blood or marriage, but who was.

There, I drink lemon, lime and bitters.
Must stay sober to make my speech.
He has two beers only. He’s driving.
We hug a lot of people, blink back tears,
hardly touch the refreshments afterwards.

(Our girl was a foodie, and a chef.
She used to love to feed us up,
to cook unusual dishes, foreign cuisine.
Left to ourselves, Adam and I 
tend to like wholesome, simple food.)

Home again at last, that night,
we devour my home-made soup
with more of the sourdough
and later, just before bed, enjoy 
a taste of the special gelato I bought.

We also open the waiting bottles of wine 
as soon as we get in: white for him, red for me;
get through two large glasses each 
quite quickly; sigh; reminisce; even laugh …
yawn, go to bed early, sleep unusually late.


















Linked to Poets United's Midweek Motif ~ The Food We Eat


11 comments:

  1. Sometimes one food, sometimes another. It all depends on the occasion---and how clear we need to keep our heads!

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  2. A sad event but, what a joyful one as well. I think you celebrated your friend in a wonderful way. I wish I had that sandwich right now and it is breakfast time. Again, I am so sorry about the death of your friend. What an amazing person she was.

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  3. We accompany our food by eating good food and memories. As You captured for me in this poem, it's communion and celebration as well. I'm so happy you didn't have to be alone--and that you had both wine and gelato!

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  4. I am so glad he was there to spend that day with you - you must have shored each other up. Such a loss, Rosemary. I love how food helped you get through it. We, the living, appreciate such things at times of loss.

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  5. A lovely warm and touching poem which shows how daily life resides around food

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  6. Rosemary,

    Foods and drinks become significant at certain times. Reminders of others and reminders by association...

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  7. How beautiful and sensitive this is Rosemary. Food is one thing that makes most of us contented and relaxed even contemplating the death of friends and loved ones.

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  8. A beautiful poem of remembrance. A good company and food is always so healing in time of loss and void. Very much touching.

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  9. A lovely remembrance with food taking the edge off.

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