The Chore

Once a week
Comes my night
And I approach it with the same trepidation
    regardless of the previous week’s success

Back in the day
    of self-imposed solitude
                nearly every night   
        some boiled pasta
        some heated mixed veggies straight from the can
        some chicken boiled straight from the frozen package
            would suffice

        (putting the opened can straight on the stove burner
            saves a dish from having to be washed, FYI)

            it sufficed
                    like crazy

Then seminary

Community called to reinstate me
I moved in with three fellow journeyers
    one of whom a package deal with two youngsters
        all with tastes a bit more discerning
        and with a premised intent
            of contributing to a shared meal
                once a week

I slid by
    on mom’s best of handwritten recipes collection
        bestowed and bound in an index card book
            when I moved out
        where would I have been without
        the Campbell’s tutorial of 15-min. preparations 

These applications were met with some acclaim

Soon
The raw culinary talents within my midst
        luckily including some mad asian attitude
    gave some implicit empowerment
    to learn the sacrament of the herbs and the spices
        to veer from the recipe just slightly
And when wanting for some new inspiration
    lamenting that I didn’t share my housemates’ genius
Sharitylee very matter of factly demystified the secret:

            “Dude...internet.”

And unwilling to yield from my very public childhood feud with the bulk of the Onion family
I began a very powerful alliance with garlic
    And where the script calls
        for green onion...
            clove of garlic
        red onion...
            another clove of garlic
        scallions
            ummm--garlic
        yellow onion
            seriously?
            there is such a thing?

    I hear no complaints
        (Well...Jeff. But he hates garlic.)

    When it’s been long enough
    I revisit mom’s best of
        because this doesn’t work
        unless you bring everything about you
        into it

    Again, no complaints
        (Well...Marcy. But she’s from Minnes-oh-ta
            and not used to the Texas spicing.)

The chore is like community
The chore is community
Gets easier as you keep at it
Then it gets hard again
Then it gets easier again because you can’t not keep at it.