#249

The frying pan invokes many domestic images for me,
fried chicken, in particular, 
cast iron, 
Crisco melting, 
boiling hot, spitting hot sparks
when floured wings, legs, 
thighs and breasts hit the pan,
golden brown goodness,  
devoured in minutes by 
a dozen hungry children,
no leftovers in our home.

catherinenglish 09-06-2013

#248

A small boy with a fiddle,
dreaming of forming his own 
Polka band, or perhaps he will
discover blue grass or Mozart,
and decide what he loves best,
music to his ear, 
the gorgeous sound made by 
a bow and strings, 
an incredibly difficult 
instrument to master.

catherinenglish 09-05-2013

#247

Amidst the beads and baubles
lies the word, "Buds, " a 
bracelet you made for me,
back in your tween days,
a heart string you gave me,
keeping you close to my heart 
in an infinity kind of way,
hearing your voice on the phone today,
reading aloud your articulate 
feminist stance on gender roles,
made me proud to call you
daughter.

catherinenglish 09-04-2013

#246

A sweet cherub face,
an earthly angel to make
me smile ev'ry day.

catherinenglish 09-03-2013

#245

Peek-a-boo,
I see you,
looking through the 
back of a chair,
showing Grandma
that she can stand up
all by herself, Little 
Miss Smarty Pants.

catherinenglish 09-02-2013

#244

Little Miss Rory 
forever spills that tongue 
out over her lips, 
working hard at 
whatever she does, 
emulating MJ, 
her dad hoping
she will be a star, 
her grandma
hoping so, too, 
playing the piano rather 
than a basketball. 

catherinenglish 09-01-2013

#243

Today, my heart went rushing
back to a past that cannot 
be revived: ancient days, it seems,
when all in the world was well,
dancing to Polkas in the Pioneer 
Ballroom in Silver Creek,
drinking blackberry brandy shots,
whiskey sours, whiskey sweets,
and oceans of pivo, toasting the 
newlyweds, eating fried chicken, 
kielbasa and cake,
relishing the sound of spoken 
Polish, ancestors long gone 
in death's dateless night.

(with love to babcia i dziadek)

(and congratulations to Josselyn and Jeff!)

catherinenglish 08-31-2013