I am resurrecting this one, after making my own fudge….

The Urge to Savor

I learned from my mother
how to make creamy chocolate fudge
that would keep
her children coming back,
a knowledge that did not come
from any recipe

but her habit of sending each of us
this box of chocolate
on Valentine’s Day
wherever we made our homes.

I learned from her how
to cut the squares
so that they were in number
divisible by five,.
each portion then
carefully cuddled
by plastic wrap and paper.

She with my father
carefully labeled
and packaged five boxes,
entrusted this treasure
to the local postmaster
who sent them off
to faraway colleges and states.

I learned that
for the gift to take hold,
we must share it –
with roommates, neighbors, spouses, kids –
but that it was still my gift to share.

Mother accepted praise
for this wondrous treat
and never let on
it was anything less than pleasure
though her arthritic hands
and crippling hip
might have said otherwise.

The stoop sat empty
this Valentine’s Day,
left me craving
her mind and her fudge.

Annette Januzzi Wick
In dedication to the miles that the Fudge has traveled.
2/18/2008