Hot Soup on a Cool Late-Summer Evening

hot soup on a cool late-summer evening

made with love and tenderness
from locally grown zucchini,
bright yellow sweet corn,
fresh cut basil,
sliced into aromatic ribbons,
and lush roma tomatoes.

there is also artisan-crafted sour dough bread,
straight from the hearth fire,
dipped slowly into extra virgin olive oil,
seasoned carefully with dark green rosemary
and pink himalayan sea salt,

plus a hearty salad of locally sourced
microgreens,
tossed gently,
with shredded carrots,
chopped red cabbage
and balsamic vinegar.

this delectable,
culinary treat
was packed with love
by a kindred spirit,
who sent me reeling
into early evening sunshine,
after a delightful day of
working together
in the garden,
and a morning of sweet kisses,
home-made banana bread,
and rich black coffee,
ground by hand
and prepared
with meditative care.

it is also very much
worth noting,
that the seasonal
ohio peaches
are sweeter than ever,
and as juicy as can be.

---

Jeffrey Bowen

Appears in Neighborhood Voices Anthology published by Literary Cleveland in collaboration with the Cleveland Public Library, Winter 2020