Not surprisingly, last Friday's Round-Up found at least two offerings of soup poems. Tara Smith at A Teaching Life contributed "Everybody Made Soups" by Lisa Coffman and Kay at A Journey Through the Pages cooked up an original titled, "Simmering Echoes."
Those two posts, and the fact that I had recently finished off the last of the seemingly never-ending pot of turkey soup, inspired me to add my own poem to the canon of soup poems. (If there isn't a canon of soup poems, then I suggest we have the beginnings of one!) And, although there are some similarities to the two poems shared last week (there are some basic ingredients that you'll find in every turkey soup), mine comes to a slightly different conclusion.
I normally don't use the word "gift" as a verb, but it seemed to fit the poem. I also heard this segment on NPR, which gave me permission!
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Poem text:
After the Second Turkey Holiday
After the carving of portion-sized
pieces, after the dog has been
gifted with the innards, the nearly
naked carcass is given one more life.
These bones that were subjected
to full-bore denuding will release
a surprising amount of flavor
when boiled in a pot of water.
Add to the pot the following
chopped (finesse is not necessary)
vegetables: garlic, onions, carrots,
--maybe a potato, and celery.
Don't forget seasoning: a little
salt, a little more pepper, and
whatever else you find in a small
jar that still smells appealing.
Then add barley. Is half-a-cup too
little? More won't hurt, and, if it
turns into a stew, is that a problem?
If you prefer rice, wait until later.
Gently simmer, simmer, simmer
until time to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat.
After five days of turkey soup cross
it off your menu for another year.
This almost makes me want to go back and cook another turkey just to make another batch of soup!
ReplyDeleteAlmost. ;)
I'm thinking turkey pot pie would be nice...
DeleteDelicious! Perhaps we need a Poetry Friday Anthology of Food for All Seasons. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd Jama Rattigan can edit it!
DeleteIf that's your soup in the picture, I think you found some goodies for it, plus the broth of course. My daughter had this pleasure this year, but I brought home some leftovers! One of my fondest memories is one of our dogs come running down the park lane (we were out walking) with a turkey carcass. He thought he'd found the best treasure! I'm glad you added to the "soups" poems. I printed Tara's out last week and hung it on the fridge!
ReplyDeleteYes, Linda, that was the first bowl of soup from that batch!
DeleteDiane, can you guess what I had for dinner tonight? I threw in the left over crudités (carrots, celery, broccoli), I wish you were here to help me eat it.
ReplyDeleteWell, Joy, since it's 79 degrees at Lihue Airport, and it's rapidly plunging down into the teens here in NH, I think I'd love to be there to help you eat it!
DeleteWaste not want not, especially when the result is something this nourishing and delicious! Great things can come from humble ingredients, if prepared with love and a pinch of imagination!
ReplyDeleteI think "imagination" is a good way of describing, "throw everything in the pot and hope for the best."
DeleteDiane, my family loves to make homemade soup. I have two different kinds in the refrigerator right now so your poem really appeals to me. Your visual is fabulous with the overlays and have provided a poetic lens into "the nearly naked carcass."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the graphics, Carol. More than half the fun of writing a poem is in illustrating it (for me at least).
DeleteThank you for including my poem in your canon of turkey soup poems! I have to agree with your soup recipe--what I can find in the fridge and cabinets. Hmmm....I've got some turkey in the freezer. It may be time for another pot!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the inspiration, Kay!
DeleteI think it's National Soup Month, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI almost shared that very same NPR link about using gift as a verb, since I did on my artsyletters holiday postcard this year - ha! Thanks as always for your wit & wisdom.
It's National Hot Tea Month, too. Alas, National Bread Month is November. January would be a better fit--there's nothing to beat a hot bowl of soup and slice of bread with butter! Or tea and toast!
DeleteYum! But, you are right, after all that simmering and eating, I, too, am ready to give turkey soup a rest!
ReplyDeleteI think I'm ready for a pot of split pea and ham.
DeleteGifting the dog works so well - glad you used that verb. I had to laugh at "whatever else you find in a small
ReplyDeletejar that still smells appealing"! That's my recipe!
Comfort food and poem in one!
I have small bottles and Durkee cans in the back of the closet that must date back to the 1970s! The tins are probably now being sold as "vintage" kitchen decor.
DeleteDelicious!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was!
DeleteWe're having the same kind of experience with a pot of spaghetti. We made too many noodles, which overpowered the leftover sauce when combined for leftovers, so we added another jar of sauce...and the pot is full again! Spaghetti for several more meals! (Then not again for awhile!)
ReplyDeleteI love leftover spaghetti, but since I don't cook pasta, I haven't had it in years. :-(
DeleteYou made me snort with the "canon of soup poems." So funny! My new trick for chicken and turkey soup is a splash of lemon juice at the end -- gives it a little bit of brightness. Mark is coming down with a cold so I see soup in our future . . .
ReplyDeleteLemon juice? Sounds promising. I hope Mark doesn't have the cold virus that's been making the rounds at the library. The cough part was brutal.
DeleteI enjoyed your poem! It made my mouth water :-) Love the last two lines.
ReplyDelete