back in the day

Lots of cousins

lots of food

homemade bread

with real butter

wiener roasts

for lunch

and giant bags of Doritos

from Costco.

The Schwanns truck

with orange Sherbet

Push pops.

orange tang

and pop from

the garage.

Roast beef

with carrots and

potatoes and gravy

made in that

heavy bottomed

silver pot.

cherry mousse

chocolate chip cookies

raspberry and lemon drops

at Christmas

popcorn balls

and thick white cookies

turkey and stuffing

and all that goes with it

passed along the

endless table

that seated everyone

of us.

ice cream cones

from "Town and Country"

Trips to the little

corner store

for groceries.

7-up and peanuts.

 

I wish, even for a moment,

that I could go back

in time

and lean my grubby

elbows on that table

and chatter incessantly

in between

bites of goodness.