​Sitting in Bryant Park
On a beautiful spring day
A brass band is playing in the background
You go to see who they are
And discover a joyous brass quintet
Whose schtick is to dance energetically
While playing pop tunes like
YMCA and Summer Lovin’ and the best Spice Girls/Backstreet Boys mashup you never knew you needed played by a brass band
The gathered crowd bop and sway and clap and laugh
Even the security guard behind the fence is grooving along
You marvel at the trombone player
Who can do crunches while playing full out
The joy of music
The joy of dance
And later
May Day dinner between shows
Fried chicken, creamy mashed potatoes
And garlicky toasted bread
Lemonade and sweet iced tea
A celebration

The delight of a home cooked meal
With a dear friend
Salmon and brussel sprouts with bacon
Home made beans 
Ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert 
Sharing a bottle of wine 
And watching one of your childhood favorites
​Together  

At the hospital
All the staff were in a good mood
Happy for Friday
Each of my techs was an immigrant
(Immigrants, we get the job done)
Indian, Chinese, and Polish
The first shared how his family have a group chat where they say good morning, good night, and
I love you
Every single day
The second told me I was too young for menopause
(I know)
The third said I have a beautiful heart
I’m thankful my dear friend was with me
I’ve gotten so used to going on my own
It was a relief
To share the burden
After all the poking and prodding
Soup dumplings

Sweet potato, butternut squash and
Two different kinds of potato
Sprinkled with salt and cracked pepper
An entire clove of garlic and a Spanish onion
Chicken dressed with rosemary and olive oil
Roasted in the oven

Sometimes you feel like 
A juicy burger and fries 
And you find a little 
Greasy spoon kind of place
Down the road
And it just
Hits the spot

The Kingston biscuit*
​One of my favorite Aussie snacks 
A coconut biscuit 
Filled with chocolate
The algorithm got it right when it offered me a recipe 
Around the time I flew back from my trip 
To the land of my childhood 
And tonight I finally had the time 
To mix the sugar, butter, flour
Oats and desiccated coconut  
A pinch of salt 
And a generous slurp of maple syrup 
Into teaspoon-sized balls 
Bake them in the oven and 
Let them cool 
Melt the chocolate 
(Is there anything more delicious and sumptuous and sensual than melted chocolate?!) 
And put it all together 
I was a good girl, I had a proper dinner first 
Before I sat down with my treat 
And that chocolate and coconut 
And oats and syrup
And sugar, butter, flour 
Tasted like the best memories  
The alchemy of baking 

Happiness is time spent
With the warmth of a
Grilled cheese sandwich
And a chocolate chip cookie 

Late at night
On the uptown A
There is a man eating a single scoop of ice cream
With a wooden spoon from
A little orange cup.
Vanilla bean
A special, secret recipe
A childhood favorite
He is savoring
Every. Single. Bite.
It may be 38°F outside
But it’s never too cold for vanilla bean ice cream
He hasn’t had ice cream in the longest time
Certainly not uninterrupted like this
With just the rattle of the train
The quiet company of his fellow passengers
For now, there are no screaming children
No demands on his time
No worries in the world
Just this scoop of ice cream
The wooden spoon
The little orange cup
And the taste of heaven

The NY Times recipe called for
Noodles dressed in
Peanut butter, parmesan, and soy sauce
A seemingly contradictory combination 
But sometimes the unexpected 
Is where you find
Joy

In high school
I asked Mum to teach me Grandma's recipe
For white sauce
It was the basis for tuna mornay, one of our favorite staples
Sautéing onions in butter
Adding the flour
Stirring in the milk 
Adding the cheese 
Stir, stir, stir 
I've since learned that adding apple cider vinegar keeps it shiny 
White wine vinegar works too 
I've also learned how versatile white sauce can be
It has been the basis for many a delicious meal, and
Tonight, it was the basis for 
Homemade truffle mac & cheese
Bliss.