Inside my head is a voice screaming

It sees and feels all the hurt

The pain and the unjust

going on around me.

It makes me want to yell

and stomp and hit and cry.

To lose myself in a drunken stupor.

Or drug my mind to

avoid this cruel reality.

Which way is up

as I always seem

to be looking down.

There is no clarity

no written in black and white.

The words are mumbled

or not heard, barely uttered.

I need some normalicy

Balance,

Peace,

and maybe,

just maybe,

a little...understanding.

EJH 03/05/10

The Starling & it's Tasty Tidbit

Feral little bird

What have you found there?

A tasty little meal,

in the form of a pizza crust.

Previously spat out

by a street urchin

that obviously didn't meet

her epicurious standards.

I mean, I think it

was female.

It was hard to tell.

Needless to say,

the little bird,

took flight with his dinner.

EJH - 2009

In the Streets

The gutter living folk

are at it again.

Trapsing the streets

with nowhere

in particular to go.

The drug addicts and prostitutes

Drug runners and thieves.

Looking for action

some, confrontation.

Having long ago

lost their direction.

Perhaps,

even their Soul(s).

EJH 08/09

Uninspired

Uninspired today

Looking for words

in the faces

of the people

who pass me by.

Needing reassurance

that this path I take

is the right one.

Or should I say,

the right one,

right now.

A rather dull existence

greets me each morn.

A boring job,

with no imagination.

Although

on days like this,

I write

and attempt

creation.

EJH - 08/31/09

A Rainy Day in the Box

I watch,

from inside the fishbowl.

Looking out

at the dysfunctional world.

The rain has eased

the skies, still grey.

It merges with the asphalt,

the buildings,

various shades of Blaaah!

Traffic is steady

it's quitting time

everyone in a rush

their needs

surpassing all others.

Pedestrians shuffle

shoulders hunched over.

Either due to the

electronic device

in their hand,

or against the wind.

Some,

 carrying many burdens

upon themselves.

Raves for rapini:

Raves for rapini: This week, we finish our four-part look at some of the less-familiar vegetables in the supermarket

 

The green Italian vegetable known as rapini has as many names as the chicory cousins, which we dealt with last week. But there is no confusing rapini with anything else.

By The Calgary Herald
March 29, 2006


The green Italian vegetable known as rapini has as many names as the chicory cousins, which we dealt with last week. But there is no confusing rapini with anything else.

Brassica rapa, Ruvo group -- also known as broccoli raab, cima di rapa, ruvo kale, turnip broccoli and Italian turnip -- has its own uncompromising presence.
Rapini has been a presence in the New World since the early 1930s, when a breeding program was introduced by an Italian family of gardeners who recognized the plant as it grew wild in the ditches and fields of California.
Rapini sits firmly and aggressively on the bitter end of the flavour scale. Rapini is a pretty raw vegetable, but it is never eaten raw. Look for ruffled elegance like a flamenco dancer's dress, but choose all green, with no yellow. Elongated stalks are thin and tender, with densely clustered leaves and tiny buds. Look for stalks that have been newly severed, and no woody texture.
This vegetable is perishable, lasting only a few days in the fridge. Make the most of it by wrapping the bunch in paper towels before nesting it into a perforated plastic bag. Avoid storing rapini near fruits that ripen after harvest (apples, avocados, pears, melons, tropical fruit, plums). As they ripen, they exude ethylene gas, which will turn the rapini yellow.
Rapini is easy to prepare. Wash the bunch and discard any aged or faded leaves and buds, then trim and discard the stalks at their woodiest point. Then cut the entire bunch crosswise into short lengths of about an inch, maybe two.
Garlic and ginger are natural partners. So are spicy sausages, cured pork such as pancetta, hot chili flakes, black olives of the oil-cured variety and curry powder -- even sparing amounts of turmeric or cumin.
Lemon zest, a golden haze of finely grated yellow skin after the dish is cooked, adds a bit of balance and welcome colour. Use flavoured sweeteners with character to temper rapini's bitterness: honey, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup. Or rely on rapini's bitter edge to boost potatoes and pasta.
Cook rapini knowing its glowing colour will fade to drab in the pan. The flavour won't, though. If it seems too assertive, too pungent for your palate, blanch rapini in boiling water, then drain and rinse in cold water before carrying on.
Traditional cooks cook rapini by braising it until tender, flavoured with garlic and hot chili flakes in a bit of water or stock. Alternatively, steam or stir-fry, saute or boil, just as you would broccoli, only briefly.
Be prepared for shrinkage. One bunch of chopped rapini fills about 6 cups (1.5 L), but it condenses into about 2 cups when cooked, so be generous.


dee Hobsbawn-Smith is an author, writer, chef and poet.
dee@curiousocook.net




Braised Rapini and Garlic with Balsamic


Serve this traditional combination as a side dish or on pasta.  It makes a natural partner for spicy Italian sausages, steamed or grilled.


2 to 4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise


olive oil for the pan


1 onion, sliced3 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

1 bunch rapini, washed and chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) water or stock


1/2 cup (125 mL) oil-cured black olives


zest of 1 lemon


hot chili flakes to taste

drizzle of balsamic vinegar


salt and pepper to taste


toasted pine nuts for garnish

Saute bacon in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat until all fat is rendered out. Add enough oil to lubricate the pan, then add onion and garlic.
Cook until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes, over medium heat.
Add rapini, water or stock and olives. Cover and simmer until rapini is tender to the bite, 8 to 15 minutes.
Add lemon zest, hot chili flakes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
Mix well, then serve immediately. Garnish with pine nuts.
Serves 4.

A Date of Birth

I really don't know what the weather was like 41 years ago today.  but I hope for my mother's sake, it was tad nicer that it is today!  Brrrrr
I also wish I had more details about the day of my birth.  What was it like for my parents in those hours leading up to my arrival?  Did Mom have a difficult time?  Was Dad at the hospital, pacing the halls?  Or, was he at home watching my older sister, Marilyn and waiting for a phone call?  I wonder if Mom's parents were there for my delivery?  Why I don't even know what time I arrived at either?

It makes me wish that I had asked my Mum more questions about my birth.  But, when you're young, you are so busy living, you don't always ask the right questions.  I remember asking my Dad & Marilyn a few years ago if they remember anything of my birth, but neither of them were much help.  I got two different answers on the time of my arrival - midnight and mid-afternoon.  Dad thought he was out working in the field (harvesting/threshing)  Note likely as it was the end of September.  Unless he was harvesting corn...Hmmmmm

Marilyn later told me, the Doctor who delivered me had passed on some time ago.  Interestingly enough it was by suicide.  Ack!  Perhaps a check on the local record books might give me the answers I'm looking for. 

I've never had the maternal urge.  (except when it comes to caring for animals)  There's been no biological clock ticking, chiming or cuckook'ing away.  No interest in babysitting or even oogling young mothers little cooing bundles.  Although, I can appreciate a cute baby or an adorable, well behaved imp.  I have never had a desire to have one of my own!

Kudos to those who do!  But, I'll stick to my dogs, cats and any other creature that need some of my TLC thanks!

Miss you Mom - Feb/01 & Dad - Dec/04 - RIP