Dear Enchiladas Verde
A poem by Shawn Aveningo-Sanders
Dear Enchiladas Verde
~ for Jeni
You came as offering from a neighbor
when prescribed bedrest kept a mother
from cooking for her children. We could
taste the kindness wrapped inside your
tortillas. How your chicken was shredded
with tenderness, how your tiny-diced onions
& olives passed the test of young finicky
tastebuds. Such an enduring comfort—
Your maker’s generosity became family
favorite, thanks to a handwritten recipe
card taped to your crinkled foil lid. How
each time my son came home from college
requesting a feast of what became Madre’s
Enchiladas. How that emptied tray filled
a mother’s empty-nested heart.
About the Author:
Shawn Aveningo-Sanders is the author of What She Was Wearing and her work has appeared worldwide in journals and anthologies, including Calyx, Amsterdam Quarterly, About Place Journal, and Snapdragon, to name a few. She’s co-founder of The Poetry Box, as well as managing editor for The Poeming Pigeon. Shawn is a proud mother of three amazing humans and grandmother to one darling baby girl.
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February 14, 2024 at 6:46 PM
Thank you Chris. I’m so glad you enjoyed the poem. I just became a grandma myself, so it was fun to write this thinking back to when my children were young.
Shawn
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February 13, 2024 at 11:09 AM
What a great poem! As a mother and grandmother, as well as someone who likes to cook, all your details are perfect – the careful shredding of chicken, the olives, etc for “finicky appetites”. Such a great word to describe the appetites of children. As a poet, The Bronx Years”, your poem made my morning. Thank you.
Chris O’Hanlon
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