I open the door It's been a long day But a smell drifts down the stairs That reminds me Of Sunday afternoons Family dinners And warm food in my belly Fall naps And stealing a sip of mom's drink It's just apple juice But only her and dad get some I walk upstairs And slip off my shoes Tired And hang my purse on the hook in the wall Before going to open the oven. The heavenly smell increases A smell of the past A smell of memories Of family I pull the *** out of the oven and cautiously open the lid. I'm washed over with old memories As I inhale the smell of cooked veggies, roast, and red wine vinegar. I reach in with some tongs and it falls apart Soft Perfect Ready to eat And when I take a bite All I can think about is my mom And Sunday afternoons And that last sip of apple juice.
When I was a kid, Sundays after church we would always have dinner as a family. My mom would cook something special because it was Sunday, and we always got to have ice cream afterwards. That was our Sunday routine. We would have a quiet time or nap time afterwards, and spend the evening in peace and quiet. My mom makes the absolute best potroast, and I remember walking into the house after church and just smelling her cooking all ready to eat once we changed back into our normal clothes. I haven't been doing well. But on a whim, I decided to make my mom's recipe for potroast, and taking a bite of it healed me in a few places. I'm not doing well, but I'm gonna be alright.