Sunny Side Up - A Recipoem

cooking

With every stroke of the knife

With every stir or flip

free Falling deeper into that elusive state of ease

the zone

I meditate on the spices

I am one with the heat

Which came first? The chicken or the egg

The egg of course

Dad pulled out the sublime cast iron

Fried eggs are cheap, enough for everyone

Fried eggs fill you up, They scratch a primal itch

Frying eggs is easy, but a skill you must hone with care

To make a good egg of any variety

You must heat your pan just right

Even boiled or poached, they are picky

They are sensitive to the seasons

Each stove and pan is unique

You must charm both to find balance

Too hot and your eggs will burn

Too cool and you will have a blob

You must hear the crackling

But should not see smoke

Crack, crack, keep the shells out

Pepper, try not to sneeze

Salt, sprinkle, sprinkle

Flip with care, or you will pop your yolk.

I was small and curious

But now I can cook something

I am grown

The darkness rolls in

Monstrous clouds hold the sunrise hostage

Rain falls down like heavy drops of sweat

It heats up fast, mist rising from the pavement like little ghosts

Then the smell of Florida comes out

running

With every mile,

With every strike of the heel,

free Falling deeper into the pain, suffocating the demons away

the zone

I meditate on the sounds of the morning, afternoon or night

I am one with the heat

I can run miles, but I am not old enough to drive

Now it is my mother who is held hostage

But the way my mother loved me was taking me where I needed to go

The way my mother loved me was taking me places alone,

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight left behind

Alone time was rare, prized, hard to find

On those excursions in the little car, she set way points to McDonald’s

Pulling up right as the clock on the dash showed 10:20, only earlier if we were lucky

Egg McMuffin and hash brown

A gift like none other

The way my mother loved me was also homemade

An egg sandwich wrapped in foil

She holds it out to me In the car, on the way to practice, on the way to a race

“Here, I made you something to eat”

In the early morning when my stomach said no, I would eat it anyway

The foil crinkles, the whole wheat bread is soft from the heat

The first bite would be forced

Mustard would wake me up

The last bite would be savored

I would have gone through my day on an empty stomach

The growling subtle and ignored

But the way my mother loved me was thinking of it when I did not want to

The way my mother loved me was spending the time to

Heat the stove

Fry an egg the way I loved it

Wrapping it up in aluminum so that I Wouldn’t have to eat something cold

And letting me eat it in the car

The way my mother loved me was a lesson learned and never forgotten

An egg sandwich will always make you feel better

To make a satisfying breakfast sandwich

It should be obvious by now, spend extra time with your egg

Fry the egg in butter for the best flavor

Sprinkle generous amounts of pepper, garlic salt or cayenne pepper

While your egg crackles on the stove, heat your bread

If you feel fancy today, sourdough or brioche are luxurious choices

But if all you have is hot dog buns or heels you are still in luck

Many small things add up

In sandwich form even old bread comes back to life

To work fast the toaster will be your friend

But if you are chasing something “more”

You can spread a little butter over both sides of your bread and fry them on the stove

Wait for the bottoms to brown, wait for the tops to warm, then flip and wait again

Bread laid across a plate, egg placed right in the middle

Now you are ready

Egg sandwiches can be simple

If you have no time you can eat your sandwich as is

A slice of cheese will take you far, requiring little additional effort,

Gouda, Cheddar, Pepperjack or American, whatever mood you find yourself in can be found

But always let it melt

If you want to make a mess as you eat, the instructions are simple

Egg sandwiches can be full of good things

Ham makes it complete, bacon makes it good

Tomato, lettuce, avocado, sprouts

A sauce, mayonnaise, mustard or sriracha

Choose your own adventure

Don’t be selfish, give the dog a piece when no one is looking

Double the recipe to share with a friend or lover

Cure a hangover or a broken heart, stop a growling stomach or soothe a hangry mood

Repeat multiple times to feed your family, leave out the spice for young mouths

Wrap in foil to prepare for a long journey

But always share

It just might be the way you love someone