Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Grandma's Kitchen



The little war-time cottage had 
only five tiny rooms.
I spent much time in the living room, 
listening to radio stories on winter afternoons,
much time as a growing teen 
in the back porch talking to Grandma.
We both withdrew to the porch
when the adults started pouring drinks,
ice cubes tinkling in the glasses,
laughter growing louder.
We both hated "the drink".

But it is the kitchen I remember,
where she made wonderful lemon cookies,
pancakes, cups of tea for tea parties.
And soup. Soup for after school, 
comforting and nourishing,
to be supped with a deep-bowled china spoon, 
one of which I still have.

Mostly, it was the peace,
a quiet so pervasive you could hear 
the metal clock on the kitchen windowsill,
ticking and tocking all over the house.
At Grandma's house, the hours rolled by
predictably and uneventfully,
the hosing down of the outside of the house
on early summer mornings
against the heat of the day,
the simple meals that came at eight a.m.,
twelve noon, six p.m. like clockwork.

When I think of childhood
it is the rooms in Grandma's house
that I remember.
They were the anchor of my childhood,
where all my best memories
reside.

for Mary's Poetics prompt over at dVerse: Room

24 comments:

  1. Sherry, this brought ME some moments of peace today. Thank you. Just beautiful. I remember my Grandma's kitchen, too...a gray formica table, and the scent of nutmeg cookie santas with cinnamon candy eyes...

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  2. This brings such a lot of warmth and happiness to the reader; especially love images of lemon cookies,pancakes and cups of tea :D

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  3. Sherry, everyone should have a grandma's house such as yours in their childhood - to anchor them, to show them what is important. And everyone should have a grandma who made those lemon cookies and pancakes... You were indeed blessed to know your grandma's kitchen!

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  4. Your grandma sounds a very sweet lady who knew how to make her kitchen a welcoming place for others. Your list of foods makes me hungry!

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  5. Love this life story, sounds like happy times...

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  6. Sherry, this poem brought back fond memories of my oma and opa place. I sent a few summers, there, while my parents dealt with medical or family issues. It was my haven, from the chaotic world, I lived in, as a child. Thank you, for bringing back, these memories.

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  7. You are so lucky Sherry to have all those wonderful memories for it provides such a haven & anchor of your childhood ~ I can smell the food now, smiles ~

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  8. How lucky we are to have had such grandmothers. Now this one reminds me of another grandmother, especially the kitchen. Even the house looks like hers in LA...probably cleared away to make room for Dodger Stadium. But the kitchen is still alive in my memories...Italian food. Yum.

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  9. Wonderful! Loving and tender ... a beautiful tribute.

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  10. I had such a grandmother too. I miss her so.

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  11. thanks for sharing such beautiful memories

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  12. Every child should have a place like your Grandma's to feel loved and cherished. Thank you for sharing your tender and sweet memories, Sherry.

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  13. this slice of childhood is truly made of feel good elements sherry...warm, deep and so very peaceful..."They were the anchor of my childhood,
    where all my best memories
    reside."...such anchor gives us inner strength too...

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  14. Sherry... my grandmother spent very little time in her kitchen.. yet it was a wonderful place to be in... It was exciting to pull at drawers and find stuff... to linger in smells... really that's what we did when grown-ups had their parties (and it was mostly my mother and aunts being in the kitchen... a few times an extra housekeeper)...

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  15. How grounding to have those memories!

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  16. Neat! My grandmother worked, but Grandpa! I have memories of him in everyroom and on the porch, but like you, the kitchen was best because he enjoyed baking bread and singing. Thanks for evoking good memories. Fine photo!

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  17. "comforting and nourishing,
    to be supped with a deep-bowled china spoon,
    one of which I still have"

    Aren't those the best keepsakes? The small ones that carry so many heartwarming memories? :)

    "Mostly, it was the peace,
    a quiet so pervasive you could hear" ... Isn't that what we spend our whole lives looking for? Just a small corner of quiet peace.

    I love what you did with the ending, I believe, turning "reside" into "re-side." To me, this speaks of how we rewrite our memories a lot of the time, figuring out how to make them better than they really were. Swooshing away the more painful feelings and clinging to the warmer floodings of sweet nostalgia.

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  18. This is such a tribute to your Grandmother and your poem makes that kitchen and the silence come alive.

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  19. What precious memories. :-)

    ~Imelda

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  20. This is delightful, Sherry, a happy wander through the house.

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  21. I miss my grandma's kitchen and her. But memories are important :-). Thanks for sharing!

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  22. Shot gun home
    oF river front
    razed.. gone
    by iN
    modern
    days oF
    culture
    way.. gas
    stove..
    lard
    fried..
    chicken
    hot.. grand
    ma's supper
    wArms
    heARt
    oF
    memorie..
    truth's soUl's
    spiRit BRinGs..
    liGht aGaiN..:)

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