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ODE TO THE FOODS OF SUMMER

 Is it time for another summer food poem?

I think so.
Ode To The Foods of Summer
Written by Joan Rowden Hart after a trip to Farmers Market on June 20, 2018
Nothing works better to relieve summer’s stress
Than preparing the season’s first beans
Sitting in a recliner with bowl on your lap
Anticipating the meal of your dreams
Those delicate green pods are awaiting the mantle
Of bacon’s smokey goodness just right
Vidalia’s sweet onions add just the right touch
To whet even the least appetite
Small pearls of potatoes so tender and white
Are the next layer of this tasty meal
They will melt in your mouth in a buttery flash
Creamy sweet with just a hint of red peel.
Tomatoes of red sliced thin and arranged
On a plate with red florals to match
With white and green onion stems artfully laid
To provide a bright color contrast.
Cucumbers cut neatly in quarters or slices
With a rich sour cream dip on the side
And a second mixture of vinegar marinade
Sometimes it’s hard to decide.
Yellow cobs of sweet corn steaming hot from the pot
Draped with butter and pepper and salt
Those glittering gold nuggets of juicy temptation
My taste buds they truly exalt.
Hot yeast rolls in the oven have been rising a while
With globulous goodness they shine
Fried chicken piled high on large oval platters
The drumsticks will always be mine.
Summer peaches in cobbler is the finishing touch
Butter crusting the lattice on top
But only a small bite can I manage to eat
I’m so full I am ready to drop.

© Joan Rowden Hart 2018

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