Thursday, July 27, 2006

Sang Réal

A Recipe

Take one winters day sliding sunset,
chop finely and brown in a large stockpot.
Add onions halved and sliced
and salty tang of tears drawn involuntarily.
Season with a smattering
of children chattering
about Halloween costumes
and add water.
Bring to the boil and simmer gently
on the stove of your soul.
Serve with a portion of nostalgia and
garnish with relatives.

Serves 12.

12 comments:

mareymercy said...

Interesting how many poems relate food to family. Thanks for posting!

Verity said...

How warming and comforting, I love that line, "the stove of your soul."

Kay Cooke said...

This has a touch of bitterness, which I love. Is it the vinegar or the lemon ... lemon I believe.

Lee said...

You don't seem to have an email address available, so I'm posting here to thank you for your comment on MORTAL GHOST. I've just put up Chapter Two after a long battle with feed problems - as yet unresolved.

Anonymous said...

I can over from Frank Wilson's blog: www.booksinq.blogspot.com.

A charming poem.

Lynne AKA The Wicked Witch of Publishing

Unknown said...

Nice plug on Frank!
Great words too!!

Unknown said...

Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving comments, they are very much appreciated :)
Thanks also to Frank Wilson for picking it up and sending more traffic my way!
CB you are more than right about the lemon ;) Such are the joys of parenting, betimes.

Rob said...

Enjoyable.

Ignore this if you want, but I wondered if "in Halloween costumes" rather than "about..." might give both a sharper image and a better rhythm.

Thanks for the read.

apprentice said...

I like soupy poems much better than soppy ones. Apostrophe at "winter's" ? "one winter sliding sunset" might be better?

And wondered if "and salt with tears..." would scan better.

Feel free to ignore me, I'm just an interferring old cow, ;)

I like it a lot though. Hard to think of winter in this heat. It's lurking though, the days are shortening already.

Unknown said...

Thanks to Rob and Apprentice, points noted and appreciated.

This was written in the precursor to Halloween about three years ago, hence the chattering about costumes, rather than in them, but I take your point Rob.

Apprentice, you're hardly interferring! I had an awful job with that apostrophe, taking it out and putting it in again loads of times. When it's read out loud it makes a lot more sense, as I learned at a reading in the local church. The ladies choir loved it.

Yansidara said...

I love this poem. I will memorize it. And pass it along to my sisters and daughters. Since English is not my native language, I love it exactly as is. Thank you for sharing it.

Unknown said...

Thanks yansidara - that is a high compliment.