Bone Broth
Good broth will resurrect the dead.
—South American proverb.
Two pots simmer on the stove,
day and night creating steam, scenting
my house with cozy’s fragrance.
One pot with chicken necks and feet,
onions, garlic, one large bay leaf.
splash of vinegar, plus sea salt, pepper.
The second holds browned beef neck bones
with a little meat and cartilage, plus
onions, garlic, one large bay leaf.
The second day, I add baby carrots,
parsley for more flavor, let pots boil
for a lifesaver. Secret to restoring health,
adds lost minerals to the body, prerequisites
to healthy joints, gentle digestion. I’ve joined
the parade of chefs toward slow food, cooking
at the center of my home. Pantry filled with home-
canned food, throwback to shorter rations.
Magic elixir! Next comes fermentation.
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Joan Mazza has worked as a medical microbiologist, psychotherapist, seminar leader, and has been a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. Author of six self-help psychology books, including Dreaming Your Real Self (Penguin/Putnam), her poetry has appeared in Potomac Review, Rattle, Kestrel, The MacGuffin, Mezzo Cammin, and The Nation. She ran away from the hurricanes of South Florida to be surprised by the earthquakes and tornadoes of rural central Virginia, where she writes poetry and does fabric and paper art. www.JoanMazza.com