If I Could Taste Memories
They'd be Bakeapple Cheesecake
If I could taste memories, I’d like them all sweet,
like favourite penny-candy or home-baked date treats.
If I could taste memories, I’d love them so snug,
like a warm cup of chocolate, steamed in a mug.
They’d be bright Christmas mornings, toys under the tree.
and a brand-new puppy for my brothers and me.
They’d be playing with cousins, and biking down hills.
They’d be first teenage kisses, and amusement park thrills.
*
If I could taste memories, I’d want them to be,
as sweet as those cookies that Mom baked for me.
But truth is that sometimes, those memories are tart,
like a fresh stick of rhubarb picked from the yard.
Not sunshine and roses, as the old saying goes,
but bee stings and tears, scraped knees and stubbed toes.
Sometimes they taste sour, like breakups and fights.
Sometimes they are sickness, and long lonely nights.
*
If I could taste memories, for reality’s sake,
those memories would be Nan's bakeapple cheesecake.
They'd be rich, they'd be creamy, a sweet slice of bliss,
with a tart berry topping that puckered my lips.
They’d be sing-alongs with daddy, in rhythm and rhyme.
Then kisses goodnight, for the very last time.
They’d be playtimes with brothers, and short time-outs too.
They’d be new Easter dresses, and holes in my shoes.
*
If I could taste memories, for better or worse,
I’d want sweet and tangy, with honesty first.
For all of those memories, whatever they be,
belong to that young girl who grew to be me.
About the Creator
Cathy holmes
Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.
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More stories from Cathy holmes and writers in Poets and other communities.
Perfectly Me
I don't fit your mold. Flawed, you say. But that's okay. I'm perfectly me. ----- I read a poem this morning in which the author was speaking about how none of us is perfect, though some people expect us to be. I thought, how ridiculous is that? Firstly, I agree. None of us are perfect. Secondly, what if we were? What if we could reach the point where everything we do, and everything we are cannot be improved upon because we'd already reached the peak? How boring would that be? Be yourself. Live. Be happy with who you are, and never stop striving for better.
By Cathy holmesabout a month ago in Poets
In The Blink of Her Eye
Time itself bent and morphed, allowing Shannon the precious seconds needed to see and adjust to the disaster unfolding in front of her. Each frame showed minute details she would have missed had the clock not slowed down until she heard every click of the hands as they swept toward the end of everything. If only she was being melodramatic...
By Lisa VanGalen6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (23)
Wow. I so loved this one. Thank you!
Excellent, any way you look at it. The flow was amazing, and the content is full of vivid memories that apparently taste good. I could taste them, especially the baked apple cheesecake.
Congratulations on being noticed for this piece. it really brings out memories and food should and it wonderful to read.
Thank you very much.
Yeah absolutely! The memories are so important for us and they can alleviate as well as regret us! Well done.
Cathy this was so beautiful!! I love the whimsical yet relatable feel of it! The repetitive language made it feel dreamy and nostalgic. I got chills when I read that last line, like you do when you read an iconic saying or the end of a long series. This was masterful work!
This is glorious and vivid in detail ❤️
Very captivating like a snack ♥️Made hungry for homemade cheese cake
Beautifully nostalgic, Cathy. I love this.
Sentimentally superb! Very well written and teeming with tender moments!
Super clever! Loved the idea of tasting memories - ad they definitely would be all the flavours! Lovely entry! 🤍
Delicious sampling of tasty memories. Flavorful and not too heavy. Hits the spot!
This was so nostalgic and poignant. Bittersweet. Memories are all that we have now. Loved your poem! Also, I've never heard of cloudberry or bakeapple before!
Brilliantly written!!! Was thinking about penny candy today. Boy those were the days. Loved this!!!❤️❤️💕
Cathy, this is simply wonderful, Top Story work! Every single line sings and rings true. This is poetry in the category of they don't write them like this anymore! If I could taste memories, they would take me back to Grandy's kitchen when I was a boy to gobble up her date pinwheel cookies and lemon icebox pie with a brown sugar crust. Ahhh, if only.
A tempting tango of tasteful sweetness
I’d want sweet and tangy, with honesty first. Absolutely love this line my friend 😊
This is absolutely stellar- my favorite poem I've read in a while! Love the wonderful melding of flavorful descriptions and wistful reflection. Cheers to sweet and tangy memories, with honesty first! Brilliant work :)
That all sounds so delicious! What beautiful memories to have. Loved it 🥰
So lovely! We used to pick rhubarb and eat it raw with salt in Illinois!! Never do it now. Such wonderful memories you have in this poem, Cathy!
A wonderfully written poem, meaningful and full of memories. It brought back a few for me. Love this one, Cathy!
OMGSH...there you go again ripping our hearts out
This is precious. I love it 💟