THINGS I LEARNED IN GRANDMA'S KITCHEN
By Bliss Bowen

Potatoes browning in a pot roast pan
Cornbread baking in the oven
Family smiles anticipation and
Me setting the table with my cousin
The counter lined with pink linoleum
Rolling crust for cherry pie
Grandma teaching me her rules of thumb
Her humble wisdom from on high

"Don't ever cheat the measure, don't over-knead the bread
A spoon of milk helps make the gravy smooth
Blood's thicker than water, love's thicker than blood
And I'm always here for you"
All these things I learned in Grandma's kitchen

Easter supper simmering sweet and hot
Felt home and safe in their embrace
Granddad chugging his 5 o'clock shot
O' whiskey, Grandma's tears saying grace
September, sneaking me some Lorna Doones
"Your father won't come back around
Mama's boyfriend's your new daddy soon
You'll get a dog, move to a new town"

"Don't ever cheat the measure, keep your cupboards clean
A messy house breeds discontented blues
Blood's thicker than water, love's thicker than blood
And I'm always here for you"
All these things I learned in Grandma's kitchen

The years rolled on, they're heaven's angels now
I'm cooking with her recipes
Sometime after her funeral we found
Grandma's letterbox and her mysteries
Long before her precious babe was born
She'd had a hysterectomy
They adopted my mom one swampy morn
Everybody else knew 'cept Mom and me

"Don't ever cheat the measure, always sift and sieve
And please forgive this final lesson true
Blood's thicker than water, love's thicker than blood
And my love lives on in you"
Oh, all these things I learned in Grandma's kitchen
Oh, all these things I learned in Grandma's kitchen

Potatoes browning in a pot roast pan
Cornbread baking in the oven