The Innisfree Poetry Journal www.innisfreepoetry.org by Barbara Crooker
Fifteen Bean Soup
I want to thank this pot for its art
of containment, the stove for its gentle heat. Thank you to the beans, all fifteen of you, for your transformation from stony pebbles into nuggets of deliciousness, regaining your original forms: large & small limas, lentils, navy beans, pintos, yellow-eyed beans, red & white kidneys, black beans, garbanzos, cranberry beans, small white & pink beans, green & yellow split peas. And thank you to the onions, for your bite and snap; tomatoes, chili powder, garlic, lemon juice—what you add is undetectable, but if you’re omitted, all is lost. A word of applause, gnarly ham hocks, for coming apart in the bubble and boil, for lending your parts for the good of the whole. And thank you, thank you, stoneware bowls— without your help, this dinner wouldn’t be possible. Have I forgotten anyone? The farmer who sowed the crops, the rancher who raised the pigs, the grocery store that carried their wares. Finally—and yes, I hear the orchestra music, know my time is coming to a close— let me thank the housewife, lost in history, who figured out this recipe, the proportions, who added in the harmony, the way the notes combined, the blend, the music, the mastery. Copyright 2006-2012 by Cook Communication |