NPM 2017 Day Four: When I Am in the Kitchen

For National Poetry Month this year I am sharing poetry that celebrates my late sister-in-law and what it means to be human. These daily posts focus on traits that Pam exuded—empathy, kindness, caring, friendship, gentleness and love.

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I have fond memories of Pam in the kitchen. She was an enthusiastic cook with a penchant for "light" recipes and sometimes unusual ingredients. She was quick to copy her favorite recipes to share with me. There are a few I still make today, though quite a few were relegated to the rubbish bin after only being followed once. Regardless of the recipe, Pam cooked everything with love and a desire to please others. I often think of her when I am alone in the kitchen.

When I Am in the Kitchen
by Jeanne Marie Beaumont

I think about the past. I empty the ice-cube trays
crack crack cracking like bones, and I think
of decades of ice cubes and of John Cheever,
of Anne Sexton making cocktails, of decades
of cocktail parties, and it feels suddenly far
too lonely at my counter. Although I have on hooks
nearby the embroidered apron of my friend’s
grandmother and one my mother made for me

Read the poem in its entirety.


I'll leave you today with this parting shot.

I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give. – Julia Child

Thank you for reading. I hope to see you here again tomorrow.