Don’t set the table, carve the roast.
Follow the scent to the Sunday spread.
Candles lit, harvest bounty. Smiling faces, finest China, merry laughter. Kids included—happy to be here, happy to join us. Mama beaming.
Season to taste, beyond the cookbook. Cranberry here, touch more pepper there. Melted butter on a biscuit for me; Aunt Ada opens with gravied dressing. Spicy.
Pots and pans behind the door—later we tidy together, stacking, sorting, laughing. Bumping, shooing, tickling, stealing pats and kisses.
Now’s for coffee, maybe cake.
Icing on the cake—words served warm, paper plates, no dishes to wash.
INSTANT NOODLES 