Christmas Memories

I see hard striped candy in the bowl
The one grandma gave to us
So many aromas to inhale
Turkey, ham, duck, greens, yams, kale
Even a hog head we might behold.

Awesome were the visual delights
Sweet potato pies, chocolate cake
Cookies, rising buns, candy galore
 Leaving barely room for any more
And constant Christmas blinking lights.

Each morsel, every tidbit of taste
Solidified in my memory bank.
Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, other nuts
Never let my taste buds fall in ruts
Every bite found its permanent space.

Today, after all these many years
Those holiday memories are locked tight
In my  pallet’s view and my heart’s mind
Pine cones and needles, yew, scotch pine
Always evoke  happy holiday tears.

With the holidays so close and such
Let’s see spicy turkey, ham, deer, mutton--
Just mulling over what I might prepare
Maybe gumbo, with a New Orleans flair
What ever, should not make too much.

No family, no matter how large they be,
Can consume all the morsels of the holidays
All those taste and visual pleasantries
And, oh, so many  holiday melodies 
Produced from one’s Christmas memories.

Del Cano 2002