the house still smells of cumin
i stood at stove and wondered
should i add an extra teaspoon

tamale pie a favorite
from a life time
long since gone

yesterday, i longed
for scents and texture of
creamed corn mingling with

chunky salsa and a dash of
chili powder and found myself
wondering if ground chicken

would work as well as turkey
and before i knew i’d gathered
the groceries and was standing

in my kitchen mixing this concoction
thinking on the finished product
with no bitter taste of memories

lingering humming a song
i thought my ming had long
released ‘something better’

and found myself content
in a house filled with
the making of tamale pie