9.29.2005
The poem I meant to post with yesterday's story
IT WAS DIFFICULT SWALLOWING AND SMILING
AT THE SAME TIME
She was teaching me to make
terrible enchiladas.
I already knew how to make terrible enchiladas
but didn’t say so. She was too excited
to share. I paid attention
while she crushed tomatoes,
warmed white flour tortillas,
disregarded spices. I grated mild cheddar
and decided her performance
in bed that afternoon must have something to do
with her attitude toward cayenne.
While dipping those flour tortillas
into a watery sauce and rolling them
around “refritos” and hamburger,
she told me how her mother
had never cooked and how she herself was proud
to be such a good cook when without looking
at me she says please don’t
be offended. I have to tell you
your naked breasts reminded me so forcibly
of my mother and that’s something I need
to work through. It’s just that they’re so
lumpy and too doughy to handle,
and I’m worried about smothering.
I’m sure you understand.
She dumped the cheese into the pan
and thrust the whole mess into the oven.
After dinner I cleaned up,
scraping glops of enchilada
into the garbage. They hid
the scrap of paper scrawled with her
phone number. She may not have said
that entire speech,
exactly, but that’s what I learned.
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What a great poem! I love it. I've never seen your work on the page--what a great treat.
You know, I only found out about the breast petals through hard research and perseverance. That was the first time I had bought them. I have to tell you, it's a little ouchie to pull them back off, but boy they sure worked great!
loved the poem. it's the first i've read of yours. funny...that both you and my good friend "the other mother" are BOTH poets! very cool!
got two bra-ish things to share:
1) Cindy was a 40i when pg....and actually had to let the woman at the maternity/nursing store TOUCH HER BREASTS (well..her bra) to get fitted. this totally freaked her out! usually..i just go buy bras for her! by just guessing her size! so pitiful.
2) hmmm...breast petals...maybe just what i need. since getting pierced (omigod!) 2 months ago..i can't seem to wear white shirts...cuz the dang "adornments" show through. who'd have guessed? thanks!
The getting-a-bra post was fabulous. Reminds me I have to buy new bras myself. I'm so used to buying them off the rack at Big Lots! it never occured to me to go to a place where they actually *measure* you. Hmmm. A friend recently told me that my bras weren't working anymore, not holding me up. I thanked her for the feedback, then tried to tighten my saggy-boob bra, but apparently the straps were tightened all the way and my bras are simply not doing the job. Alas. But I was interested to read there are nipple covers for those RT days. The bearth of things I never knew. Probably comes from buying $2.99 bras from the discount hut. :-)