Leche quemada - poem form

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Text

Directions

mama burns the milk in the black pan as she stirs brown sugar in by hand

bringing it to a simmer humming a wordless tune which echoes through the

room in rhythm with the stirrings of the wooden spoon adding in droplets

of water like tears in the mixture to keep the pan from scalding when she feels the thickness she pours the steaming liquid into rows of

iron molds scorching her fingers as the steam comes back upon her like

words in retribution but she continues in her motions until the pan is

emptied

mama sits on a broken chair wiping the sweat dripping from her hair as

the cool begins to harden the candies in their prison closing her eyes

only for a moment before rising to put up the milk and sugar and to wash

the cold dirtied pan to make room for evening dinner as mama boils a pan of water she begins to hum the same wordless tune

David E. Cowen

Copyright 1996

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