Hi Friends,

A new one for your C&C. It's a braided poem, each line 12 syllables. It
was a lot of fun. Kind of long though, sorry 'bout that.

~*~

Applesauce Weekend

We each hold our unappointed positions year
after year around the golden kitchen. Grampy,
Dad and John carry baskets of fresh apples picked
yesterday at Jannsen's. Mom and me take our seats,
favorite knives in hand, begin to peel long skin-curls
into brown bags - an afternoon treat for the deer.

     Mary, have you heard how Aunt Ruth is making out?
     Well, she called a few days ago, says she has to
     make sure they keep the doors locked because Anna Mae
     tries to go home! Oh my, God Bless her. Yes, Ruth says
     she came out of the bathroom and found the front door
     wide open and Ma walking herself down the street!

Granny measures sugar, cinnamon, a touch of
nutmeg, puts aside. Takes up her big iron pot,
places apples in with half a cup of water,
a couple tablespoons sugar, cover loose, wait.
The men bring up boxes of jars from the cellar.
Mom rinses, I dry, Granny lines them up with lids.

     What did she do? Well, she went after her and said,
     Where are you going? And Ma said, she had to go
     home. Her mother told her, You be home in time for
     dinner; they were having pork chops the way Big Yon
     likes, baked in the beans! Oh Mary, how sad. Ruth says,
     it's not too bad. Ma mostly has good memories.

Every so often someone goes over, inhales
deeply and gives the steamy pot a big ol' stir.
Wooden spoon smooshes fragrant hot chunks of autumn
apples. Add a spoon or two of sugar mixture.
I grind brown coffee beans for an afternoon pot
before dinner. Leftover fried mashed potatoes.

     So, she just plays along. She says sometimes Ma thinks
     that she's her kid sister, Bethie Lynn, and they talk
     like they were girls gossiping before bed at night.
     Ruth says she's learned a lot about Ma's childhood,
     things she would never have known otherwise. Small things.
     Ruth says she found out where Ma put the wedding vase!

Dad, turn that heat down a little, will you? I think
the sauce is ready. Keep some aside for later,
to have with the potato pancakes. Imagine,
isn't that funny? After all these years! She said
Ma wrapped it in newspaper and put it upstairs
in a box with Frank and Libbie's whistle dishes.

~*~

Cheerwell, Mary :O)

=====
Good Cheer & Be Well,
Maryann Hazen-Stearns
"Under The Limbo Stick"
http://www.geocities.com/Faerhart/
also available at these locations:
http://www.vivisphere.com  http://www.amazon.com

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