Caramelization

My mother’s vintage iron pan, 

heavy, hot, ready

she fried up love

caramelization of the soul 

from pot roast Sunday to pizza Friday

 

Daddy grinned like a kid

savoring simple bounty

pure intention

filled-up empty spaces

 

Soft white bread, gold potatoes, 

brown saucy gravy

onions permeate the senses

slippery, aromatic

strong flavors that bond a family

*****

Now I have my own black iron pan

half my weight required just to heave it onto the stove 

black soil beneath my fingernails

sauté broccoli, 

parboil summer’s hybrids and heirlooms

eat now, store more for winter 

Order gourmet crab 

douse with herb-infused oil

tend with fervor

stare into space

until dinner sizzles done