"The Dream," In Memory of Harold Palmer

Harry Palmer used to say that
holidays were overplayed and
if we hoped to live on after we
had to pare down all the clatter.

"I'm too old to keep this up and
Mama counts on all of us.
If we gone eat and laugh and spend then
we should call a caterer in...

Or we should all meet at some place
where they sit Thanksgiving down
in front of your face,
cause all this shopping and spending and sweat
is done by too few so too many can get."

And he would say that,
every year,
that all he wanted was a break.
A chance to eat the fruits of labor
where he had neither to fry nor bake.

I'm sure that he'd be pleased to know that
since he and our mom have gone,
we've all hung up our aprons and we've
simplified the goings on.

There is no turkey thawed or brined,
there are no sweet potato pies,
there are no sheet cakes in the kitchen,
there are no family buffet lines.

There are no beef and pork ribs slathered
with my husband's secret sauce.
There is no macaroni salad.
There is no "mac and cheese" cheese cost.

There is no sausage laden stuffing.
There are no basted turkey wings.
There is no too-tall pot of rice.
There are no trademark collard greens.

When Sissy called the family dinner to
sit us down with heaping plates,
just like you said you wished we'd do,
she had it catered.

Piece of cake.

It's likely that when time has passed and
and everybody's life renewed,
we'll plan another family cook-off;
we'll sweat, fry, bake, and think of you.

But until then, I hope you know that
for some time we let it go.
We turned off the pots, and turned out the lights,
and all sat down and went on strike.

Happy Thanksgiving,
with our love.

-T. James-Moss