Just a Taste
Elusive elixir (for James & Oneg's "Tag You're It Challenge)
A relative took me to a wine tasting.
I was eight and had never tasted wine.
I didn't know what a wine tasting was,
but I knew what it meant to taste,
to catch glimpses or overhear snippets or smell the vapor
of the adult world
in which whole bites were beyond reach.
It was a fancy event,
all white tablecloths and elegant dresses,
and somehow they let in this kid
with shorts and pigtails.
I quickly became bored and slipped away
and whether my adult companion didn't notice
or didn't care, either way I was on my own
in a room full of wine.
Just like everyone else,
I reached up and took a plastic cup
of red, and swallowed.
It was sweet. It was delicious,
like kool-aid,
and I wanted more
but I was curious about the next table
and so I reached out and took another plastic cup
and it was bitter and so horrible.
And at the next table
and the next, I sipped with a sour face.
I looked around at the grownups
swishing and swallowing and smiling
and decided to go back to the sweet table --
but which one was it?
Only one way to find out.
I tasted and tasted in dizzying succession
but never found that sweetness again
until my relative found me under a table
and carried me, half asleep, out the door.
And I still wonder.
Now, grownup that I am,
I have bought wine by the bottle
and drink wine by the cupful
and have never, never found anything
like that first
taste.
* * *
Oneg in the Arctic kindly tagged me to participate in the Tag You're it Challenge (part of James & Oneg's Summer Writing Challenge Extravaganza) and I SQUEEEEKED this one in!
The challenge: "Pick a Vocal community and tag/nominate another writer to write a poem or 100-word micro fic about it BUT you only have 15 minutes to write!" (I liberally interpreted this to mean that title, picture selection, etc. wasn't included in the 15 minute limit.) I was assigned the Proof community.
I wasn't familiar with this Vocal community, so I had to do a little research. Turns out it's not about collecting evidence for conspiracy theories, dang it. Here's the description: "From happy hour to the top shelf, Proof has a drink for everyone."
Apparently, I'm not the only one who didn't quite understand what Proof is all about. Here are a few of the titles on the Latest Stories page:
- "Lake Water Found on Mars" (No, this article doesn't claim that Mars water contains alcohol. Though it's an interesting read.)
- "How to Land Jobs in Abu Dubai as a Fresher" (Is booze one of the perks? I doubt it.)
- "8 Biblical Prophecies That Came to Pass" (Proof?)
- "Revolutionizing Tech Giants: Microsoft and Google Unleash AI Power, Soaring Profits and Excitement" (Hmm ... this could be relevant if we start a new drinking game, based on the word -- or the suspicion of -- AI)
Of course, if you go to the Top Stories page, you'll find a more vetted selection. And that's how I discovered the BEST part of this challenge for me ... this piece by D. Thea Baldrick. Read it, please.
About the Creator
Sonia Heidi Unruh
I love: my husband and children; all who claim me as family or friend; the first bite of chocolate; the last blue before sunset; solving puzzles; stroking cats; finding myself by writing; losing myself in reading; the Creator who is love.
Comments (7)
Dear Ms. Sonia ~ Miss you ~ Fond Memory: During the family 'Seders' Manischewitz wine was placed in the center of the table; as kids we had 'grape juice' awaiting the day we could have the 'real' thing. Jay Jay Kantor, Chatsworth, California 'Senior' Vocal Author - Vocal Author Community -
Aww, classic kid behavior. Poor thing. Irresponsible relative! Great entry! ๐
called. Story, so well done in capturing of the child's perspective. ๐ Anneliese
"But I knew what it meant to taste / to catch glimpses or overhear snippets or smell the vapor / of the adult world." This is as much a story about an excited child as it is an exploration of what it means to taste things. I have a friend who once told me that being a writer is really about being the type to pay attention to things--to see things closely, to catch little snippets here and there, to weave them into an experience. Clearly, you are innately a writer.
i love the descriptions
What a delightful story. And so true to life. It's like the song "The Lost Chord". Of course you can't find it again, for its wonder & beauty was shaped not only by what came before but also what followed. And it's not only the music or wine which came before & followed, but everything about you as well.
This is such a lovely poem, Sonia! I absolutely love the direction you took it in, and the combination of intense sensory inputs and a floaty sense of nostalgia worked so well. I'm astonished you wrote something this beautiful (and long!) in 15 minutes.