Growing up in a Catholic family meant no meat on Fridays. It seems that about eighty percent of our meals on that night consisted of a sauce my mom would make with some kind of fish. It was sort of like Tuna Wiggle but my mom didn't put peas in and she used a variety of canned seafood. It was pretty simple and we just called it Sauce.
Sauce
2 cups milk
2 tblsp. butter
salt and pepper
2 tblsp. corn starch
2 cans of tuna, and/or shrimp, and/or crabmeat, and/or salmon
1. Pour milk into a sauce pan.
2. Add the butter and salt and pepper
3. Bring to almost a boil.
4. In the mean time, mix the corn starch with ¼ cup of water
5. When the milk is almost boiling, stir in the corn starch mixture
6. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly
7. Add seafood
8. Serve over toast or mashed potatoes with a veggie on the side.
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Sauce
Family love
pours over us
filling in
our nooks
and crannies
sometimes whether
we want it to or not.
Our only telephone
perched on the wall
barely two feet
from my dad’s
place at the table.
When it rang
that Friday night
during supper,
I jumped up to answer.
“Hey, listen” said
my date for that night.
“I’m up at Flint’s
blowing my mind.
You want to meet
me at the dance?”
“If I’m there, I’m there.
If I’m not, I’m not.”
I responded and hung up.
All eyes stared,
all ears perked up.
I hadn’t even been out
with this guy, yet,
and, already, I’d have
to lie to my parents?
They sat there
expecting an explanation.
The phone rang again,
a slight reprieve.
“Hey, listen, you
want to go to the movies
instead? I’ll pick
you up.”
Acceptable.
I relayed that
and heads nodded,
eating resumed,
normal banter
flew back and forth
again.
He met my parents
as they were on their way
out to go bowling,
played a game of cribbage
with my brother,
then we walked
to the theater,
watched The Taming
of the Shrew,and returned home
to have hot
chocolate with my folks
and sister.
Conversation and smiles
drifted around
like the steam
wisping from our cups.
It was just another
Friday night,
another connection
of family,
another meal
of sauce
spreading it’s comfort.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And in case you're wondering, the guy liked it so much at our house that we ended up getting married and we'll be celebrating our 39th anniversary in June.
3 comments:
Who can blame him? all of that love and cribbage, too
This series would do well as a book, you do know, don't you? Cozy essay, recipe, and layered poem. I'd buy it.
@briarcat I'll second that!
I'm just loving these scenes. I think my favorite line in this is only one word: "Acceptable." -- it tells SO MUCH; it's perfect.
Looking forward to reading Day 5.
I love your poems! I have been swamped with prompts...but would like to get back to it!
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