Out of a spindly sprout,
you grew,
sprawling across your earthen bed,
green leaves, green fruit,
tiny as a marble.
Our first harvest, we picked perhaps a handful,
hunting down the red.
We ate them raw right from the vine
in a burst of sour seeds and warm delight.
We had reaped a miracle.
And now, behold—
your bounty, rich as rubies, round as pearls,
so plentiful that I may toss aside
the split-skinned, fly-sucked few that have not yet let go,
to keep none but the best.
My colander fills, then my counter, then my crockpot
for a simmer slow.
I strain the seeds, drizzle in the cream.
Soup for my dinner, for my freezer,
so, when winter comes,
and you lie buried in a killing snow,
you shall yet speak to me of summer:
a sun
in my mouth
to burn away the cold.
Here's what I read, cooked, and created in the month of August.
What I Read
The Secret History, Donna Tartt (★★★★★)
The Marriage Portrait, Maggie O'Farrell (★★★★)
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee (★★★★)
Counting By 7s, Holly Goldberg Sloan (★★★★)
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, Deborah Heiligman (★★★)
Hang the Moon, Jeanette Walls (★★★)
Race Marxism: The Truth about Critical Race Theory and Praxis, James Lindsay (★★★)
The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams (★★)
If you want to hear the rationale behind my rating, head to my Goodreads for full reviews.
What I Cooked
Difficulty: ★★
Flavor: ★★★★★
Keeper: Yes
Comments: If you know how to activate yeast, you can make this bread. So delicious. I made BLTs; I made grilled cheese; I ate it warm with butter and enjoyed every bite.
Difficulty: ★★
Flavor: ★★★★★
Keeper: Yes
Comments: Because I dislike on principle any recipe that requires me to purchase applesauce, I Frankensteined this frosting with this other zucchini cake, and what a glorious combination it was.
Difficulty: ★
Flavor: ★★★★
Keeper: Yes
Comments: Needed just a little more sweetness and a little less time in the oven for me (I think I did the full hour, and I didn't need to). But it was good nevertheless, and I love any baked good that takes only one bowl to assemble.
Difficulty: ★★
Flavor: ★★
Keeper: No
Comments: This recipe is similar but way better.
What I Created
Original poem "A Short Poem for a Small Dog"
Additional progress on my project
May your days be filled with beauty, and may your heart be filled with the willingness to see and give thanks for it.