Poem of the Day: "My Mother’s Relish Plate" by Carol Hamilton, Poet of the Month

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present "My Mother’s Relish Plate" by Carol Hamilton, Poet of the Month.  Ms. Hamilton will also be serving as the guest judge for the Songs of Eretz Poetry Award Contest, which will run from September 1 to October 15, 2015.  A detailed biography of Ms. Hamilton may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2015/08/songs-of-eretz-poetry-review-poet-of.html.  The contest guidelines may be previewed here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/p/songs-of-eretz.html.

My Mother’s Relish Plate

Carol Hamilton

 

It was the family joke,

for she fretted about it

happily, called me again

and again before each feast,

staccato ritual to my preparations.

Should the olives be jumbo

or medium-sized, green or black,

cucumber or sweet pickles,

cheddar cheese sticks

or honey-glazed pecans?

Now a heavy silence

invades my kitchen

as I stuff the turkey

or glaze the ham,

for the children say

well in advance

that they will bring

homemade rolls or sugary yams

or Kosher spears, and no

uncertainty, perhaps no

anxious joy, invades these

discussions. The phone

sits silent. We add new babies

to our festivities.

I make her orange jello recipe.

We always raved over it,

and now I learn

no one liked it after all.

I gave each daughter

and daughter-in-law

relish trays, and the orange jello

will probably keep

sneaking onto the menu,

for some dishes,

even uneaten ones,

like my grandmother’s

bacon-drenched turnips,

fill hungers we cannot

even name.

Poet’s Notes:  “My Mother’s Relish Plate” revels in the details of family times together, using specific foods and how they fit into the history of family gatherings to give the poem life. It alludes to the little lies that keep family life smooth, and how we honor deep emotions that we rarely speak of.

Editor’s Note:  This poem reminds me of how ethnic or traditional food brings together families and binds together families as they expand (along with their waistlines, as in my case).  “My Mother’s Relish Plate” was originally published in Chiron.