Food For Thought

grabbing a cart I run through a mental checklist
milk, bread, eggs . . .
                            meat, vegetables . . . don't forget potatoes
maybe some fruit, got to try to be healthy

turning into the 'Great Britain' aisle I stop in my tracks
hitting a wall of emotion that catches me by surprise
no matter how many times I shop here
overwhelmed by products that have me seeing dead people

chocolate bars transport me to my grandmothers house
and the stash of goodies she kept in a kitchen draw
my father given walnut whips, licorice and sugared almonds
because no one knew what else to get him

humbugs, chocolate eclairs and boiled sweets
bought for long journeys and holidays
chosen so they wouldn't melt in the car
a lesson in there somewhere

tins of quality street and roses at Christmas
always the same ones left over
malted milks, custard creams and digestive biscuits
to be dunked in mugs of tea

ribena and orange squash, drinks of childhood
frazzles, quavers, hula hoops, skips
crisps that filled school lunchboxes
flavors lingering on fingers long after they were eaten

so many memories wrapped up in food
of family and friends, alive and dead
wiping a tear from my cheek, I pick up a bag of sweets
and with a glance over my shoulder, I head for the fruit aisle

Linking up with Imaginary Garden With Real Toads and Poetry Jam

Just for reference biscuits are cookies, sweets are candy, crisps are chips and Ribena and Orange Squash are drinks.

The Countdown Begins

I'm excited that in just one week I will be travelling home to the UK.  This visit will be all the more special because my brother (Chris) and his partner (Sara) will be tying the knot after twenty years together.
 

My husband always laughs at the fact that I pack a week in advance (he usually packs the day of) but it has to be done otherwise I'd forget my own head.  So I'm all packed and ready to go, just counting down the days.

The only aspect I don't like is the actual travel itself.  I find it extremely stressful and wish they'd invent some kind of time travel so that I could be there in an instant instead of two airports, two car rides and 11 hours of flights later.