New boss from Santa Fe, young husband,
and me determined to help him shine.
I refused the council of wiser heads,
planned the whole meal myself,
took a day that was no utopian dream
to cook the feast.
I mixed batter for chile rellenos,
dipped and deep-fried the soggy mess.
Rolled out tortillas the way my mother-
in-law taught, they looked like road maps.
I made New Mexico chile for our New Mexico-
style stacked enchiladas with egg on top,
enough for a legion of invaders.
Beans bubbled on the stove all day
until they turned to tasty sludge.
Just before the boss was due
I washed the sweat off my face,
combed my frazzled hair, settled
my invisible coronet on my aching head
and sallied forth to graciously greet
our taken-aback guest.
About the Author: Patricia Wellingham-Jones
Patricia Wellingham-Jones is a widely published former psychology researcher and writer/editor. She has a special interest in healing writing, with poems recently in The Widow’s Handbook (Kent State University Press). Chapbooks include Don’t Turn Away: poems about breast cancer, End-Cycle: poems about caregiving, Apple Blossoms at Eye Level, Voices on the Land and Hormone Stew.