COOKERY

Even when we love and crave

the silence of the forest

and communion with the trees

We have days when the house

is in ruins and we must stay in

and attend to the dust bunnies

and dishes, and do the washing

When the rain is falling

and the clouds are low

I tend to kitchen magic

blending and baking

singing and creating

food for body and soul

The aromas and textures

chopping and rending

calculating ingredients

A pinch and a dash

units of measure set down

by my grandmothers

generations of women

who stood here before

Ready to feed the multitudes

but I find only hungry dogs

a beloved partner

and nickering horses

Who can complain away a day

peppered with storms and

sprinkled with love and rain

Stoke up the fire

give me a cozy blanket

and my book to read

while the bread is baking

©2026 VC-Threadgill

Poem and Photo - #WorldPoetryDay