"remembered"

This was my mother's grandfather,
the nurse told me in a whisper,
and I believed it.

He was old enough to be anything,
his forehead a craggy cliff,
bristling with blackberry-vine eyebrows.

I leaned closer to listen
as his voice scraped slow across his throat,
his chin wagging with effort.

Finding the right words was like
finding a needle on the forest floor
muffled for decades in layers of leaves.

"Apocalypse"

(Revelation 21:1-5, rewritten into the meter of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Requiem")

I saw the city shining bright
God and Lamb for all its light,
And as I watched, God told me, "Write,
For these words are faithful and true."

I heard a voice from Heaven say,
"God abides among men today.
Sorrow and pain will vanish away,
For the world He now makes new."

ultimate muffins

Today called for muffins, which turned into an exercise into adding as many ingredients as I could think of. Starting from a recipe for raspberry coffee cake, I added vanilla (why wasn't this in the recipe to start with?!) sour cream, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Starred measurements are approximate (ie, they weren't actually measured.)

Combine:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut*
1/2-1 cup mini chocolate chips*

In another bowl, combine:
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla*
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Add 3/4 cup* sour cream. Mix together completely and then add 1 1/2 cups* frozen raspberries.

I baked them in (greased) jumbo muffin tins at 400 for about 25 minutes, but that's also flexible. It would make a dozen regular-sized muffins or a bundt cake.