Kitchen Companions by Joan Kantor

Kitchen Companions
by Joan Kantor
for my mother, who so joyfully shared her kitchen with me
My mother’s been waiting for me
to open the small drawer beside the stove,
where smiling with anticipation,
I reach for the dingy-pink metal measuring spoons
that once were hers.
They clatter and clink,
till firmly cradled in my hands,
they radiate a warmth
that rushes through me.
As time disappears,
she and I silently begin to converse
and proceed with preparations
for a meal she’ll never share.
She’d like me to use her crusty black cast iron pan,
but I’m saving its heft
for the day those tiny spoons
will no longer be enough
to stir her up.