Haunting Love
by Tammy Higgins
Love is
The scratching of a fork
Spooling pasta
Onto a soup spoon.
Love is
The pungent burst
Of garlic squeezing
Through a press.
Love is
The soft sizzle
Of chicken cutlets
In a slick of olive oil.
Love is
The spreading, rising, crisping
Of confections wafting
Off a grandmother’s baking sheet.
Love is
The dipping and delight
Of buttered Tuscan bread
In Christmas morning lattes.
Love is
The clanking placement
Of dishes conjuring a fellowship
To gather at the table.
Love is
Whispered daily
By the ghosts in my kitchen
As I stir,
Whisk,
Simmer and stew.
As I chop,
Sauté,
Bake and taste
Their memory—
My culture—
My history
With food-stained recipe cards,
Helping me recreate
All the love
They’d ever fed me.
Tammy Higgins has been a reading interventionist and writing instructor for the West York Area School District since 1993. She worked for eight years as a journalist for the York Dispatch, writing news stories, features, and a monthly column for the Food Department. She has published in Highlights for Children and Pet Boarding Magazines. She is currently writing nonfiction picture books and a middle grade novel in verse. Tammy lives in York with her husband, Rich, four children, and new granddaughter. You can connect with her on Twitter (@higswriter).
This is a really beautiful poem and a sweet celebration of the relatives who came before you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Hallee, I feel their presence in my kitchen each time I cook; very comforting.
Beautiful words, powerful feelings. Love nourishes us. Thank you for sharing this!
I liked the way you brought in the senses throughout your lovely poem. I could visualize you cooking. It made me hungry.