Flowers

Vespers

Vespers
Louise Glück - 1943-

In your extended absence, you permit me
use of earth, anticipating
some return on investment. I must report
failure in my assignment, principally
regarding the tomato plants.
I think I should not be encouraged to grow
tomatoes. Or, if I am, you should withhold
the heavy rains, the cold nights that come
so often here, while other regions get
twelve weeks of summer. All this
belongs to you: on the other hand,
I planted the seeds, I watched the first shoots
like wings tearing the soil, and it was my heart
broken by the blight, the black spot so quickly
multiplying in the rows. I doubt
you have a heart, in our understanding of
that term. You who do not discriminate
between the dead and the living, who are, in consequence,
immune to foreshadowing, you may not know
how much terror we bear, the spotted leaf,
the red leaves of the maple falling
even in August, in early darkness: I am responsible
for these vines.

Ode

Ode To The Tartigrade

So, you survive the apocalypse,

and thirty years later, you produce

more sons and daughters, keep

your eight legs, require no more

nor less than you did before the real

shit hit the proverbial fan. I lift my

imaginary hat to you, admire

your resilience, wonder how those

so and so's who predict your survival

think they know so much.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Au Gratin Potatoes With Ham

8 medium red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1-2 cups chicken stock
I don't know how much ham. Just use leftover ham or just ham you bought to do something with, yep. I would say I used about 1/2 pound to a pound of some ham I had in the fridge. I chopped it into about 1-2 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, cut into slices or diced--depends on what you like
Fresh thyme, washed and chopped--about 1 tablespoon or dried Italian herbs
1 cup organic fat-free milk
1 cup Half & Half 
4 tablespoons butter
kosher salt 
pepper
olive oil
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1-2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
Additional 2 tablespoons of butter

Ok. Let me just say that I don't measure anything. You just have to play with this. But, here is what I did, and these taste better than any au gratin potatoes I've ever eaten. 

Preheat oven to 350. 

After you wash and scrub your potatoes, slice them very thinly. I cooked mine in chicken stock and water & a little kosher salt at a boil for probably ten minutes just to soften them a bit and infuse some flavor. I then drained them and let them cool a bit in a colander. While they were cooling, I melted 2 tbsp of butter and one tbsp of olive oil and cooked the onions until they were getting soft. I then added the ham and cooked until I felt like they were cooked enough. :) About 10 minutes. Remove from heat. 
In a 13 x 9 x 2 or slightly smaller casserole dish, rub a stick of butter all over the dish. Or, you can use that spray thing for buttering dishes, but I didn't have it and don't use it much. 

While potatoes are cooling, make a white sauce. I used 4 tbsp of butter and 4 tbsp of flour. Melt the butter at medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until well blended. (I'm struggling here to do this. I take it for granted that everyone knows how to make a white or bechamel sauce and I worry that I am preaching to the choir or something). Slowly add the milk and the Half & Half. I did not have cream but would have used it if I had any in my fridge. I didn't warm the milk or half & half, but usually, it is suggested that you do that to keep it from curdling or something. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. If it gets too thick, add more milk. Season with kosher salt and pepper. I don't know how much. I just put a few pinches of kosher salt in and use the peppercorn grinder, stir it up, let it cook a few more minutes and taste. If it's not salty or peppered enough, I add more. If you like the taste and consistency, that is great. Turn it down to low or remove it from the burner. That all depends on how quickly you layer the casserole. 

So, start layering your dish. Here is how it goes. It's real easy. 1/3 of the potatoes topped with a third of your ham and onion stuff you sauteed in oil and butter, pour about a third of your white sauce over that, and then put a third of your grated cheeses over that. Do another layer the exact same way. Do a final layer the same way. I add a little more grated sharp cheddar to the top. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Uncover and cook another 20 minutes or until the top is starting to brown and is bubbling. I didn't put chopped parsley on top, but that would be great. Chopped cooked bacon would be, too. I just did what I just typed in that I did. Geez. That was exhaustive work typing it all in. Enjoy! I forgot to mention the thyme. Just sprinkle some on each layer. Or omit if thyme is not a favorite.

Again

To Be Here

They have lost their green
to the evening, my mimosas,
that time when shadows
darken the landscape
and everything is a varying shade
of black or deep blue.
The setting sun is yellow-orange
behind them. Their beans hang
from the vines lifelessly. There is no
movement in the air, no wind
to shake them up. It is that way
with life. We stand there, like small
or large trees, and we suffer
in times of drought and we thrive,
or we at least resemble something
thriving, when there is plenty--
times when the rain falls exactly
when it needs to and the rain leaves,
as if on cue: Exit, Stage Right, enter
Stage Left, Red Sun. The rain has fallen
hard this day. Now, night comes creeping
around in all of her reddish orange glory,
wondering if anyone is looking. She struts
her stuff, calming me as victim. I swoon
in admiration. I don't care if anyone
recognizes swoon as a word any longer.
I am swooning. Swanning. Watching the sky
grow darker, the red ball of fury behind her
vanishing with each passing minute, thinking
how glad I am to be here for this unfolding,
for this presentation, for this grand show
which fills me and moves me, fills my lungs
like the strangeness of air of the first breath.

*This should be in tercets, but I can't get it to format correctly

Toni Morrison

To me, Toni Morrison's death is like the death of some intrinsic part of me that found a sense of belonging in feeling some of the pain of others even if I have not lived it. I can't know what it is to be Black/African American, but I do know what it is to hurt and to question and to keep seeking for truth and to be angry and to be silent because the words can't come. Her death moves me more than the death of any other person of note in the Arts in so long I can't remember. I shared my favorite books a few weeks ago, and Beloved was on that list. I can remember the first time I read it. I felt confused, often. I had to keep rereading lines and passages. I wasn't sure where the story line was going nor if I was understanding what was happening, and if I was understanding it, it was so horrible that I could hardly bear to think about the characters in that novel. Others weep for their beloved movie stars and music icons. I do, too, but this loss is a hard one for me. Harder than those. I realize she was 88, but that doesn't soften the blow all that much. I feel a great disturbance in the force, but I think that is Toni asking us all to think about what we can do, how we can help, how we must do what we believe can make this world a place where all can feel welcome. May she speak to you this night and empower you to empower yourself and others.

To Be Here

They have lost their green to the evening, that time when shadows darken the landscape and everything is a varying shade of black or deep blue. The setting sun is yellow-orange behind them. Their beans hang from the vines lifelessly. There is no movement in the air, no wind to shake them up. It is that way with life. We stand there, small or large trees, and we suffer in times of distress and we thrive in times of abundance. Times when the rain falls exactly when it needs to and the rain leaves as if told by the director that it is Exit, Stage Right. The rain has fallen hard this day. Night comes creeping around in all of her reddish orange glory wondering if anyone is looking. She struts her stuff, calming me as victim. I swoon in admiration. I don;t care if anyone recognizes swoon as a word any longer. I am swooning. Swanning. Watching the sky gorw darker with all of that red behind her. Thinking how glad I am to be here for this unfolding, for this presentation, for this grand show which has me so firmly rooted in the world of want to be here.