Thursday, March 7, 2019

Poetry Friday - Honoring Women


         Catherine Flynn at Reading to The Core hosts this day,  Friday, March 8th, which is International Women’s Day, hashtag and theme #BalanceforBetter. Here is the website. Catherine has asked that people help to celebrate the day by sharing poems that honor women and she is sharing her poem that honors Ellen Harding Baker, a teacher, who lived in the 19th century and, as a teacher, created an extraordinary quilt that depicts the solar system. Be sure to visit to see and read Catherine's poem about Baker.

         Oh my, so many choices! I've browsed my books and have more than one I could share. I've been writing poems each day with a group to celebrate Laura Shovan's birthday. The theme this month is "food" with members posting a picture of their choosing on the date each chose. Many of my words lean to personal memories. After all, food is one of those personal things that cling, isn't it? From early childhood to grown, considering my and all the other poets' poems, most are food connections, memories, experiences. 
         This past Wednesday, one of our group posted this: "These are the ingredients for a quick vegetarian dish that my family loves. Cook 8 oz of pasta, add salsa, tomatoes, drained black beans, and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Make a double batch if you like leftovers for lunch. Alternate prompts: pasta, beans, cheddar cheese, or tomatoes."

          I value my friends, some even online from afar, some here in my neighborhood, but being together, eating what we create together, is special like a hug that lasts and lasts.



         I remember the fun, though hard work, being with an aunt and other women peeling apples and more apples, making sumptuous apple butter outside, big black pot on a low fire. I remember sitting in the kitchen as a little girl watching a grandmother prepare so.much.food for a family of five grown children, their spouses and kids, laughing with aunts  as each one worked at one dish or another. I remember a writers group I was in long ago, each bringing some food, and some words, to share, to laugh or cry over, TOGETHER! I do honor all those women, feel honored to have been a part of them in my life.

         Here is what I wrote to this prompt, honoring women! It is a draft. I see a few things that I may change, but this is my first burst of love for women gathering, cooking, eating together. 



      Food (or Friend) Fest

Every third Thursday, the group
hugs each other for another month.
At my house this time,
I brought out the pot
ready for the mish-mash
of ingredients,
started heating water for the pasta.
Ann brought a can of black beans,
always in a hurry,
“Only can left on my shelf,“ she laughed!
Sadie stopped by the Mercado,
adds a special salsa. She, the traveler,
spices the gathering every time.
Instead of canned, Elaina, our only real cook,
brought chopped tomatoes from her garden,
and Judy, who often topped our conversations,
added shredded cheese.
A goulash of women friends
cures any indigestion for a month.

 Linda Baie ©


28 comments:

  1. LOVE your poem, Linda -- how could I not?? The pasta and salsa recipe sounds delicious too. Happy International Women's Day!

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    1. Thanks, Jama. I did think of you when I wrote the post!

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  2. Your poem is like a good dish Linda– the second day all the ingredients have had time to marinate together, the flavor becomes more full bodied and it's gotten even richer, thanks!

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    1. Love your continuing to 'cook', Michelle. Thank you!

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  3. Your poem is lovely. Whenever I gather with friends, we always seem to end up around the kitchen table enjoying good food and each other's company.

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  4. The best kind of goulash, I'm thinking! Thank you for this burst of love... love how everyone brings their unique selves to the gathering. xo

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    1. Thanks, Irene, I love the warmth of a group of friends, each one adding to it.

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  5. Oh, what a wonderful concoction, Linda. I love how you've tied it in to each of your friends! Especially Sadie/salsa/spice. Rich, indeed!

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    1. Thanks, Kat, the inspiration was there, just had to find the words.

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  6. Your poem (and the stories behind it) is wonderful, Linda. I think "first burst of love" is a great description of it!

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  7. "Hugs each other for another month" is a sweet way to put it.
    I loved picturing the apple butter making, Linda. I can almost smell it.
    Hope to see more of your food poems!

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    1. My aunt was such a marvelous cook & that apple butter was wonderful. With the friends helping, they filled so many jars and we all treasured it. Thanks, Tabatha!

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  8. I love how each ingredient fits the personality of the woman in the poem. You wrote a fine recipe for a group of friends.

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  9. Thanks for sharing your poem. I enjoyed how you paralleled your gathering with a perfect combination of ingredients in a recipe. Very clever.

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  10. That's the best kind of goulash!

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  11. Love your poem, Linda, especially "She, the traveler,
    spices the gathering every time."

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  12. "Food is one of those personal things that cling" is absolutely right, Linda. I love your poem and how you've woven the personalities of your friends together with the food they contribute. What could be better than "women gathering, cooking, eating together?"

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  13. I adore this poem and all that comes with it...each friend an ingredient, a flavor a bit of the whole, good meal. A treasure.

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  14. Any poem that includes pasta, black beans, salsa, and cheese is a winner to me!

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    1. Thank you, everyone. I've spent most of the day with my granddaughter, and sharing a good meal, too, among all the other things we do. I'm happy that you connected to my poem, too.

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  15. What a joyous celebration of women bringing their gifts to the table and making something MORE with whatever they have at hand!

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    1. Thanks, Mary Lee, yes a group of friends does make something more!

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  16. Tuesday morning--my latest PF commenting ever. I'm owning it!
    To misleadingly *uote the title of an interesting book: WOMEN, FOOD & GOD. My idea of the holy is those connections among us all, undeniable inside and outside of the skin, and particularly through the sharing and cooking of food. Love this acknowledgment of that. Makes me remember a poem I wrote about my mom's similar group...thanks for that, and Happy International Raise the Next Generation of Women's Day!

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    1. You are kind to comment, Heidi. It is a favorite of the poems I've written this month. Thanks!

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  17. It's sweet to see this poem from our project connected with International Women's Day, Linda. We support each other in big ways and small ones, like feeding each other something warm and nourishing.

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