Friday, November 23, 2012

The Day After, Buoyed by delicious food I make more / Poem: Death of a Tree

Two views of upended tree on Terwood Road and Greyhorse.

This huge ole tree, plus a few others were the source of our Hurricane Sandy power outage which lasted three days.

When I was on my way to Thanksgiving carpooling yesterday, I passed the tree - with a wow! - and immediately thought of a poem I want to write about it.

All day I cooked, read, slept, and watched the great American Masters' documentary Inventing David Geffen. Slept thru much of it cuz this little girl was tired!

If you love rock n roll watch it!



I just discovered Campari tomatoes, known for their "sweetness, juiciness, and lack of mealiness."

I stopped using canned tomatoes b/c the sealer of the can leaches out noxious chemicals, so when I make chili or soups with tomatoes I've been using live tomatoes.

Two people at Giant recommended these tomatoes - Barb the self-checkout gal and Robin, up in the community room.

This is how new products get discovered by families - or blog readers. I told my mom about Compari when we spoke today.


I can't believe how delicious my new breads are - whole-wheat challahs again. I gave Scott half a loaf and offered some to neighbor Patrick, via email, but haven't heard from him yet.

I get into the 'zone' when I'm making bread, esp. when kneading. I take the phone off the hook so I can totally concentrate and have a relationship with the ever-evolving dough.

For lunch, I had a hankering for something out of the ordinary. I drove off, literally not knowing where to go, and then spotted a new restaurant near the health food store Nature's Harvest.

It's called Colonial Quy-Bau and was wrin up here.

They've been open since January - 10 months - and seem to be doing quite well. When I got there at 12:30, the place was crowded. I brought a reprint of the Grateful Dead article to read and kept my insulin pen on the table, ready to shoot up after I ordered.

My Japanese eggplant and tofu dish was delicious, with a nice assortment of crisp veggies. The decaf was fresh, delicious and hot.

It all cost $9, plus $5 tip. That was my contribution to Black Friday.



DEATH OF A TREE

She stood at attention watching the cars along Terwood Road
Each year she grew a little taller
better views 
the Tyvek House across the street
the flowering magnolia with creme-soft petals
the snowman with silly stick arms at the corner house

Tulip Tree took it all in
standing guard on Terwood and Greyhorse.
Never complaining,
as her leaves shivered into curled hands during the rainy season
she laughed when the squirrels built their many-chambered nests
in her topmost branches
and felt tickled as the woodpeckers drummed for insects deep

Our Tulip Tree had but one wish she kept to herself.
If only I had feet, so I could stroll across the street and see how people and animals move about. 
My pretty leaves, like hair, would wave about as this giantess moves with the grace of a flower.

Come a windy day in November, our tulip tree got her wish.
She laughed, she cried, she howled
Titanic winds tore at her skirt
violating her modest being
whistling down her precious yellow leaves
"I’m falling, I’m falling," she cried,
and in those moments of pain
as her feet uprooted from mother earth
she witnessed the world,
a child taking its first steps,
she tried to see it all
the pelting rain
the rooftops of the houses she guarded
and the final thump
as she lay senseless 
but beautiful still
in the middle of
Terwood Road.     


No comments:

Post a Comment