The Safest Place

When

my

grandmother

made

pies

she

would

make

more

than

one

kind

a

large

batch

of

apple

pumpkin

cherry

and

peach

each

with

decorated

spiced

crusts

this

one

with

vanilla

and

cinnamon

that

one

with

clove

or

nutmeg

her

home

would

be

hot

with

baking

and

the

air

thick

with

rich

aromas

it

made

me

dizzy

hungry

and

sleepy

all

at

once

while

she

was

working

she

would

sit

me

down

at

the

kitchen

table

with

chamomile

tea

in

a

pink

floral

china

cup

she

would

have

cut

up

the

left

over

crust

into

little

shapes

stars

hearts

diamonds

and

sprinkled

them

with

cinnamon-

sugar

and

baked

until

they

were

crisp

she

would

serve

these

to

me

on

a

small

pretty

plate

and

she

would

make

another

setting

across

from

me

for

my

doll

or

teddy-

bear

whichever

I

was

carrying

and

this

is

what

I

knew

as

a

tea

party