The Ripeness of Fruit

The Ripeness of Fruit

Now he is old and
only supervises dinner preparation,
but with the same authority that once
ordered burly men who work the big machinery
The grinding, roaring drone replaced
by the hum of the garbage disposal
and the hiss of simmering pots
After dinner we sit out on a balcony
that seems to float over a stretch of white sand,
and stare off across the water
at the winking lights from a far off ship
He points out turtle tracks in the sand,
where the turtles have come ashore to lay their eggs
“We keep the lights off after dark this time of year,” he explains
“Turtles find their way back to the sea by moonlight”
He recites this bit of information like one of the locals but,
He still wears white starched shirts, black pants and his shoes shine
Before I leave he tells me that he is lucky
to enjoy these “fruits of all his labor”
and quietly adds as an afterthought,
“I have had a full life.”

India Lentils

My sister Nancy can’t pass more than 3 people without engaging one of them in conversation. Sometimes it’s sorta like an interrogation. She’s a very curious person. Really pays off sometimes, though. She met a lady on the bus on her way to work in New Orleans years ago who was from India and somehow they got to talking about food and she gave my sister this recipe for lentils and brown rice. Said it was great for losing weight. One cup of lentils over one cup of rice is a meal. I tried it and it’s really good. I used to take it for lunch instead of a sandwich. Try it.

ps. you have to eat only a serving at a time to really lose weight.

India Lentils
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 16 oz pack lentils
1 onion (chopped)
2 or 3 garlic cloves
½ bell pepper
2 bay leaves
1 inch cutting of ginger, grated
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
¾ cup ketchup
1 tsp brown sugar

Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper.
Add all ingredients and 1 ½ to 2 qts of water.
Cook until soft.
Serve over brown rice.

Cha Cha

My Brother George, alias Cha Cha, back in the 60's.

Cha Cha

George as my number one salesman helping me to sell my ragdolls to all his customers in New York.

Just a few old memories revisited

Forever

The doctor came by and spoke the words
To her that his eyes already told me two
weeks before

With great delicacy
she picked those words apart
choosing to keep
only the most palatable

Sitting in the corner of her room
I watched her as she bent
her head over the hospital tray
feet dangling over the edge of the bed

She labored over her checkbook
Making sure her accounts were in order
Soft white hair, newly regrown, curled
at the nape of her neck

She worked so intently
I remembered as I watched her swollen fingers

How cool they felt once, as a child,
on my feverish skin
I wanted to keep this image of her forever
But I don’t know anymore, what forever is

Visitation

Sometimes when the summer sun warms a late afternoon
I can still see her standing at the sidewalks edge
With her skirt billowing around her legs and
Strands of pretty straw-colored hair blowing across her face
“Remember,” she tells him, ”You said I could see them,
Whenever I want—you said”
He ushers us into the back seat,
And slips into the front,
Twists the key and revs the engine a few times
Finally he nods in her direction, then eases the shiny black Olds
Slowly away from the curb as we clutch our canvas bags
Full of crumpled clothes
And hold on to whenever I want.

A Day at the Cat Show

An very elderly man wearing a black suit and carrying a cane came to the table where all the cat toys, stuffed mice and feathers on sticks were displayed. He looked at our handmade banner in back of us proclaiming us an organization that rescues cats. “I got my cat from a shelter a few years ago,” he said. “He’s black with a little bit of white on his chin. Every time I go upstairs he follows me, follows me all day because he has to know what I’m doing. He sits on the arm of my chair when I watch television and he does a little dance when I open his can of tuna.” He took 2 quarters out of a handful of change that he pulled out of his pocket and carefully placed them on the table to purchase a catnip mouse, that he put back in the same pocket the change came from. Then he just said, “I like him,” and he abruptly walked away.

A little later a another man walked in back of our table to get a closer look at the 6 cats we brought with us, as our little good will ambassadors, two grey and white tigers, an orange tabby, a calico and a pair of older “coon” kittens. “I wish I could have another one,” he said almost to himself. Then he turned toward me and said, “My landlord said no pets, but he owed me a big favor. So when a little stray kitten showed up at the door I asked him to make an exception. Well, he didn’t really show up at the door. I found him crying loudly in the bushes in front of the building. It was very tiny-- should have been with its mother, really. My landlord said, “’you’ve been a great tenant. Just make sure you get it spayed.’” “My wife wasn’t sure at first. She never had a cat and thought they just lived outside and came to eat and then left you alone. But the kitten, it took right to her. It would cry outside the door when my wife took a shower. Then she’d put the towel around her neck and open the door and pick up the kitten. It would snuggle on her shoulder and knead the towel. Got so it knows the sound of her car from mine pulling into the driveway and runs after her everywhere she goes. She used to sleep late in the morning and just hated getting up. Now she gets up an hour early every morning to have special time with the cat. Oh, it likes me well enough, but it is just crazy for her. I really would like another one, though.”
visit the shelter where I used to volunteer--- http://www.catsontheweb.org/