Poem: "Do Something Different Inside"
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ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the July 5, 2022 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a discussion with acelightning73. It also fills the "eat" square in my 7-1-22 card for the Body Parts Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Do Something Different Inside"
[Saturday, June 11, 2016]
Kardal set up his food truck
at the Farmer's Market.
Soon he was busy cooking,
while Aahad dished out
the premade stuff that
didn't need to be cooked.
The morning rush came from
the farmers and other people
who worked the market.
Later, the shoppers made
a slower flow, trickling by
in singles or small groups.
"One chicken hummus buster,"
said Oscar. "Hey, Kardal, guess
who's here today? Bumbleberry Acres
just set up their first booth of the year --
their strawberries are ripening now,
and they've got some other stuff
made from preserved berries."
"That sounds like something
people will enjoy," said Kardal.
"Dude, I meant you," said Oscar.
"Come check out their tables."
"Tempting, but why?" said Kardal.
"I have a good menu already."
"The Abenaki say, when we were
put on Earth a really long time ago,
each person came with a plant helper
to heal all the troubles that'd come later,"
said Oscar. "We've got Indian apple, sage,
wild rose. We've got juniper berries, teaberries,
cranberries, and wild strawberries. All of them
do something different inside, heal things."
"I don't know very much about that,"
Kardal admitted. "I've heard a little
from Eat Wisely Rutledge, but not
many fruits grow well in Syria."
"Well, Bumbleberry Acres is
farming almost every kind of berry
that'll grow around here," said Oscar.
"I wanna see what you could cook up
with the best berries in Vermont."
Kardal couldn't help remembering that
Oscar had loved the kebab karaz
he used to make at Mandy's Diner.
"I'd like to look at the berries,
but I have the food truck
to tend," said Kardal.
"Let Aahad handle it for
a few minutes, the way you
do for prayers," said Oscar.
"Just put out the short menu
and he'll do fine, he's a good kid."
Kardal was startled to realize
that Oscar had noticed how
Muslims traded off times
for work and prayers.
"Aahad, will you be
all right while I go look
at that berry booth?"
Kardal asked. "I don't
want to abandon you."
Aahad was only fifteen
and had lost all his family
back in Syria, but Oscar
was right; the boy was
a good hard worker.
"Yes, sir, I'll be fine,"
said Aahad. "Maybe
throw in some falafel first?
I can dip them out later."
"That works," said Kardal.
He filled the fryer with balls of
falafel batter, then stepped out.
"All right, Oscar, show me
the way to this berry booth."
It was a short walk across
the Farmer's Market, pleasant
in the early summer sunlight.
"You'd like Bumbleberry Acres,"
said Oscar. "They offer U-Pick
rates as well as bringing stuff
to the Farmer's Market and
various other places to sell."
"What's it like?" Kardal wondered,
trying to imagine a whole farm
dedicated to nothing but berries.
"It's almost two hundred acres,"
said Oscar. "They grow strawberries,
blueberries, blackberries, elderberries,
over a dozen kinds. So something is
in season from spring through fall, and
at the end they sell mixed cartons
as a bumbleberry blend."
"That does sound nice,"
Kardal said, though he
didn't know all the berries.
"Yeah, there's a couple of
farmhouses, garage apartments,
and a little farm store that sells fruit,
baked goods, jams, and crafts,"
Oscar said. "It's worth a stop
even if you don't like U-Pick."
Kardal was tempted by the idea
of picking your own fruit to get
a cheaper price, but he didn't
have the time with his food truck.
"Maybe someday," he mused.
They came to a big booth with
a whole row of tables in it.
The first two held strawberries
in small and large cartons
or drawer-sized boxes.
The signs on one table
read Jewel and Galletta,
while the other offered
Alpine Alexandria and
Green Mountain Red.
Behind the berry tables
stood a young man with
an apron and an easy grin.
"That's Cramer Atteberry,"
said Oscar. "Cramer, this is
my friend Kardal, he runs
the Syrian Foods truck."
"Hi," said Cramer. "Are
you shopping for personal
or professional purposes?"
"A little of both," said Kardal.
Cramer coaxed him into trying
all the strawberry varieties.
Jewel and Galletta were good
and cheap. Alpine Alexandria
tasted better but cost more.
Green Mountain Red, the best,
had smaller thumbtip-sized berries
with the most amazing flavor.
"Jewel and Galletta are
both commercial cultivars,"
Cramer explained. "The others
cost more because they take
more work. Alpine Alexandria
is an heirloom cultivar, and
Green Mountain Red is new."
"They developed that last one
themselves," Oscar added.
"Yeah, we're still working it,"
said Cramer. "That's a cross
between wild and domestic types.
We're trying to raise the size while
keeping that sweet wild flavor. It'd be
easier if the berry stems quit falling over."
Kardal thought about the workshop
he'd taken on foraging, when he had
seen the tiny wild strawberries.
"Maybe there are too many berries,
or too big, on the stems?" he said.
"The wild ones are --" He pinched
a sliver of air between his fingers.
"He's got a point," Oscar said.
"You might try looking for plants
that just put up one or two berries
per stem, so they'd stay up better."
"That's an idea," Cramer said,
and jotted a note on paper.
Kardal picked out boxes of
Jewel and Galletta berries,
along with a large carton
of Alpine Alexandria.
He hesitated over
Green Mountain Red,
then shook his head.
Cramer picked up
a small carton of them
and added it to the haul.
"Welcome to America,"
he said. "We hope you'll
become a regular customer."
Kardal would, if he could figure out
popular things to do with the berries.
"Thank you," he murmured. "It's
very kind of you to share those."
He suspected that one or two
of the best-flavored berries in
a handful of commercial ones
would dress up a yogurt drink
or a fruit topping very nicely.
A slender girl dressed in
wild patchwork clothes
came up behind Cramer.
"That's Rhodiola Ninepatch,
from Emerald Mountain Glen,"
said Oscar. "She's working
on the berry farm this year."
"Shall I carry your purchases to
your food truck?" Rhodiola said
as she looked over at Kardal.
"Yes, please," he said. He was
curious about the other tables.
The next one held honey,
some in jars and some still
in carefully wrapped combs.
Kardal was intrigued to see
different kinds of honey --
clover, alfalfa, and wildflower.
Candles and chunks of beeswax
filled several tubs at one end.
"Eli Atteberry and his wife Mildred
started the farm," said Oscar. "Now
they're mostly retired. Their son
Ashtun and his wife Heidi run it
currently. Eli still keeps the bees."
"Me and Mildred both," said Eli.
"Just I usually sell the honey and
she hands out the baked goods."
Kardal looked at the next table.
It was buried under piles of
bread, cookies, and pies.
Then he explored the honey.
"Clover I know, it's the same
that the stores carry," he said.
"What about alfalfa and wildflower?"
"Alfalfa is light, delicate," said Eli.
"Wildflower is more complex. Later
we'll have honey from other flowers.
Here, try some of them for yourself."
Kardal sampled the honeys. Then
he picked out a jar of alfalfa and
another one of wildflower to try
making baklava tomorrow.
He couldn't resist the table
with the baked goods either.
Looking at the packages,
though, he didn't see
the halal symbol.
"You're Muslim?"
Mildred asked.
"Yes," said Kardal.
"I eat halal food."
"The vegan ones don't
use any animal products,"
Mildred said, pointing.
"The strawberry bread
doesn't use vanilla and
the blueberry muffins use
the nonalcoholic vanilla."
"Thank you," Kardal said,
taking some of each.
"Take a look at these,"
Oscar said, waving a hand.
"They've got fruit syrups."
Kardal recognized strawberry
and blueberry, but some of
the other names were new.
Then he spotted the mulberry
and almost started crying because
he hadn't seen it since he left home.
It was popular in Syria and Lebanon,
but not in any American stores.
Dragging a hand over his eyes,
Kardal put the bottles beside
the bread and held out the money.
He was already imagining how
he could make beverages or
baklava with those later.
"Here you go," Mildred said
as she totaled the order
and handed him the bag.
The table after that had crafts,
mostly decorated in berry themes:
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
some in a bumbleberry jumble too.
"That's Elna Babcock," said Oscar.
A little girl toddled around the table.
"And there's her daughter Mikaia."
Kardal looked at the crafts, but
nothing suited his current needs.
Maybe someday, though. They
did look quite well constructed.
The girl wove around them,
giggling, then went back
to cling to her mother.
"How many of them are
there?" Kardal wondered.
"The Atteberries?" said Oscar.
"Mildred and Eli are the oldest.
Elna and Mikaia. Ashtun and Heidi
have a son, Brent. Cramer you've
met, he's Ashtun and Elna's brother.
Rhodiola's not related, but she's friends
with the twins, Cora and Jeseca. Two
other boys, Troy and Lyndon. Plus Jojo."
"So many," Kardal said. He was
the only member of his family
who'd made it out of Syria.
"Well, Heidi married in, and
Rhodiola just works there ...
studying the berries, I think,"
said Oscar. "Jojo Holt is
a traveling artist who stays in
different places for inspiration."
Kardal looked at the last table.
It had prints of nature art in
different sizes, along with
other things like postcards.
The girl behind the table
had her curly hair up in a clip
to keep it out of the way as
she painted a carton of berries
using a small watercolor kit.
"That's pretty," Kardal said.
She looked up at him and
smiled. "Thanks," said Jojo.
"I let the Atteberries use some
of my art for advertising, and
it cuts down on my studio rent."
"Ah," Kardal said, enlightened.
He'd seen her work around town
on flyers and bulletin boards.
"Kardal here runs Syrian Foods,"
said Oscar. "I introduced him
to the fresh strawberries."
"Good idea," said Jojo.
Then she sat up, curious.
"Hey, Kardal, can I paint
your ethnic foods? I haven't
had a chance ... I bought
some baklava once, but
I wound up eating it."
Kardal laughed. "Come
by the truck," he said. "I'm
sure we'll have something
that'd make a good picture."
You could always stack
falafel, and he had trays
of fruit or vegetables for
dipping into the hummus.
He had several shapes
of baklava, too, if Jojo
wanted to try that again.
The artist promptly
leaned over and asked
Elna to watch her table.
"I could use something
to eat," Jojo said as she
followed them back.
Kardal tried one of
the blueberry muffins,
since there was no telling
when he'd get another
opportunity to eat.
It was delicious,
sweet and crumbly
with tender blueberries.
He passed one to Oscar.
"Here, thanks for telling me
about Bumbleberry Acres."
"You're welcome," Oscar said,
devouring the blueberry muffin.
By the time they reached
Syrian Foods, Aahad was
visibly glad to see Kardal.
"It's good you're back, boss,
otherwise we would run out of
stuff pretty soon," said Aahad.
Kardal could cook fresh things,
so that would stretch it longer,
but they were still getting low.
He set up a tray for Jojo anyway --
Aleppo pepper hummus with pita bread,
falafel, cut fruits and vegetables for
dipping, plus a selection of baklava.
"I will trade you this food for
a picture of it," said Kardal.
"Deal!" Jojo said happily.
She took her tray and
her watercolors to sit at
a nearby picnic table.
"Oscar, thank you for
your tips and introductions,"
said Kardal. "You've been
very helpful for me today."
Oscar gave a cheery wave,
then headed down the path
between rows of food trucks
and booths of other edibles.
Kardal turned his attention
to his truck and what he could
do with the fresh strawberries.
He wondered if the Abenaki story
was true, that berries could heal
things. He hoped that it was true.
His people needed a lot of healing.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes appear separately.
Character Notes:
Part 1: Aahad and Seniors
Part 2: Ashtun, Heidi, and Brent
Part 3: Cramer, Troy, and Lyndon
Part 4: Cora, Jeseca, and Rhodiola
Part 5: Jojo Holt
Location Notes:
Part 1: Big Farmhouse
Part 2: Studio Garage, Small Farmhouse, & Garage Apartment
Part 3: Berry Fields and Farm Store
acelightning73. It also fills the "eat" square in my 7-1-22 card for the Body Parts Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."Do Something Different Inside"
[Saturday, June 11, 2016]
Kardal set up his food truck
at the Farmer's Market.
Soon he was busy cooking,
while Aahad dished out
the premade stuff that
didn't need to be cooked.
The morning rush came from
the farmers and other people
who worked the market.
Later, the shoppers made
a slower flow, trickling by
in singles or small groups.
"One chicken hummus buster,"
said Oscar. "Hey, Kardal, guess
who's here today? Bumbleberry Acres
just set up their first booth of the year --
their strawberries are ripening now,
and they've got some other stuff
made from preserved berries."
"That sounds like something
people will enjoy," said Kardal.
"Dude, I meant you," said Oscar.
"Come check out their tables."
"Tempting, but why?" said Kardal.
"I have a good menu already."
"The Abenaki say, when we were
put on Earth a really long time ago,
each person came with a plant helper
to heal all the troubles that'd come later,"
said Oscar. "We've got Indian apple, sage,
wild rose. We've got juniper berries, teaberries,
cranberries, and wild strawberries. All of them
do something different inside, heal things."
"I don't know very much about that,"
Kardal admitted. "I've heard a little
from Eat Wisely Rutledge, but not
many fruits grow well in Syria."
"Well, Bumbleberry Acres is
farming almost every kind of berry
that'll grow around here," said Oscar.
"I wanna see what you could cook up
with the best berries in Vermont."
Kardal couldn't help remembering that
Oscar had loved the kebab karaz
he used to make at Mandy's Diner.
"I'd like to look at the berries,
but I have the food truck
to tend," said Kardal.
"Let Aahad handle it for
a few minutes, the way you
do for prayers," said Oscar.
"Just put out the short menu
and he'll do fine, he's a good kid."
Kardal was startled to realize
that Oscar had noticed how
Muslims traded off times
for work and prayers.
"Aahad, will you be
all right while I go look
at that berry booth?"
Kardal asked. "I don't
want to abandon you."
Aahad was only fifteen
and had lost all his family
back in Syria, but Oscar
was right; the boy was
a good hard worker.
"Yes, sir, I'll be fine,"
said Aahad. "Maybe
throw in some falafel first?
I can dip them out later."
"That works," said Kardal.
He filled the fryer with balls of
falafel batter, then stepped out.
"All right, Oscar, show me
the way to this berry booth."
It was a short walk across
the Farmer's Market, pleasant
in the early summer sunlight.
"You'd like Bumbleberry Acres,"
said Oscar. "They offer U-Pick
rates as well as bringing stuff
to the Farmer's Market and
various other places to sell."
"What's it like?" Kardal wondered,
trying to imagine a whole farm
dedicated to nothing but berries.
"It's almost two hundred acres,"
said Oscar. "They grow strawberries,
blueberries, blackberries, elderberries,
over a dozen kinds. So something is
in season from spring through fall, and
at the end they sell mixed cartons
as a bumbleberry blend."
"That does sound nice,"
Kardal said, though he
didn't know all the berries.
"Yeah, there's a couple of
farmhouses, garage apartments,
and a little farm store that sells fruit,
baked goods, jams, and crafts,"
Oscar said. "It's worth a stop
even if you don't like U-Pick."
Kardal was tempted by the idea
of picking your own fruit to get
a cheaper price, but he didn't
have the time with his food truck.
"Maybe someday," he mused.
They came to a big booth with
a whole row of tables in it.
The first two held strawberries
in small and large cartons
or drawer-sized boxes.
The signs on one table
read Jewel and Galletta,
while the other offered
Alpine Alexandria and
Green Mountain Red.
Behind the berry tables
stood a young man with
an apron and an easy grin.
"That's Cramer Atteberry,"
said Oscar. "Cramer, this is
my friend Kardal, he runs
the Syrian Foods truck."
"Hi," said Cramer. "Are
you shopping for personal
or professional purposes?"
"A little of both," said Kardal.
Cramer coaxed him into trying
all the strawberry varieties.
Jewel and Galletta were good
and cheap. Alpine Alexandria
tasted better but cost more.
Green Mountain Red, the best,
had smaller thumbtip-sized berries
with the most amazing flavor.
"Jewel and Galletta are
both commercial cultivars,"
Cramer explained. "The others
cost more because they take
more work. Alpine Alexandria
is an heirloom cultivar, and
Green Mountain Red is new."
"They developed that last one
themselves," Oscar added.
"Yeah, we're still working it,"
said Cramer. "That's a cross
between wild and domestic types.
We're trying to raise the size while
keeping that sweet wild flavor. It'd be
easier if the berry stems quit falling over."
Kardal thought about the workshop
he'd taken on foraging, when he had
seen the tiny wild strawberries.
"Maybe there are too many berries,
or too big, on the stems?" he said.
"The wild ones are --" He pinched
a sliver of air between his fingers.
"He's got a point," Oscar said.
"You might try looking for plants
that just put up one or two berries
per stem, so they'd stay up better."
"That's an idea," Cramer said,
and jotted a note on paper.
Kardal picked out boxes of
Jewel and Galletta berries,
along with a large carton
of Alpine Alexandria.
He hesitated over
Green Mountain Red,
then shook his head.
Cramer picked up
a small carton of them
and added it to the haul.
"Welcome to America,"
he said. "We hope you'll
become a regular customer."
Kardal would, if he could figure out
popular things to do with the berries.
"Thank you," he murmured. "It's
very kind of you to share those."
He suspected that one or two
of the best-flavored berries in
a handful of commercial ones
would dress up a yogurt drink
or a fruit topping very nicely.
A slender girl dressed in
wild patchwork clothes
came up behind Cramer.
"That's Rhodiola Ninepatch,
from Emerald Mountain Glen,"
said Oscar. "She's working
on the berry farm this year."
"Shall I carry your purchases to
your food truck?" Rhodiola said
as she looked over at Kardal.
"Yes, please," he said. He was
curious about the other tables.
The next one held honey,
some in jars and some still
in carefully wrapped combs.
Kardal was intrigued to see
different kinds of honey --
clover, alfalfa, and wildflower.
Candles and chunks of beeswax
filled several tubs at one end.
"Eli Atteberry and his wife Mildred
started the farm," said Oscar. "Now
they're mostly retired. Their son
Ashtun and his wife Heidi run it
currently. Eli still keeps the bees."
"Me and Mildred both," said Eli.
"Just I usually sell the honey and
she hands out the baked goods."
Kardal looked at the next table.
It was buried under piles of
bread, cookies, and pies.
Then he explored the honey.
"Clover I know, it's the same
that the stores carry," he said.
"What about alfalfa and wildflower?"
"Alfalfa is light, delicate," said Eli.
"Wildflower is more complex. Later
we'll have honey from other flowers.
Here, try some of them for yourself."
Kardal sampled the honeys. Then
he picked out a jar of alfalfa and
another one of wildflower to try
making baklava tomorrow.
He couldn't resist the table
with the baked goods either.
Looking at the packages,
though, he didn't see
the halal symbol.
"You're Muslim?"
Mildred asked.
"Yes," said Kardal.
"I eat halal food."
"The vegan ones don't
use any animal products,"
Mildred said, pointing.
"The strawberry bread
doesn't use vanilla and
the blueberry muffins use
the nonalcoholic vanilla."
"Thank you," Kardal said,
taking some of each.
"Take a look at these,"
Oscar said, waving a hand.
"They've got fruit syrups."
Kardal recognized strawberry
and blueberry, but some of
the other names were new.
Then he spotted the mulberry
and almost started crying because
he hadn't seen it since he left home.
It was popular in Syria and Lebanon,
but not in any American stores.
Dragging a hand over his eyes,
Kardal put the bottles beside
the bread and held out the money.
He was already imagining how
he could make beverages or
baklava with those later.
"Here you go," Mildred said
as she totaled the order
and handed him the bag.
The table after that had crafts,
mostly decorated in berry themes:
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
some in a bumbleberry jumble too.
"That's Elna Babcock," said Oscar.
A little girl toddled around the table.
"And there's her daughter Mikaia."
Kardal looked at the crafts, but
nothing suited his current needs.
Maybe someday, though. They
did look quite well constructed.
The girl wove around them,
giggling, then went back
to cling to her mother.
"How many of them are
there?" Kardal wondered.
"The Atteberries?" said Oscar.
"Mildred and Eli are the oldest.
Elna and Mikaia. Ashtun and Heidi
have a son, Brent. Cramer you've
met, he's Ashtun and Elna's brother.
Rhodiola's not related, but she's friends
with the twins, Cora and Jeseca. Two
other boys, Troy and Lyndon. Plus Jojo."
"So many," Kardal said. He was
the only member of his family
who'd made it out of Syria.
"Well, Heidi married in, and
Rhodiola just works there ...
studying the berries, I think,"
said Oscar. "Jojo Holt is
a traveling artist who stays in
different places for inspiration."
Kardal looked at the last table.
It had prints of nature art in
different sizes, along with
other things like postcards.
The girl behind the table
had her curly hair up in a clip
to keep it out of the way as
she painted a carton of berries
using a small watercolor kit.
"That's pretty," Kardal said.
She looked up at him and
smiled. "Thanks," said Jojo.
"I let the Atteberries use some
of my art for advertising, and
it cuts down on my studio rent."
"Ah," Kardal said, enlightened.
He'd seen her work around town
on flyers and bulletin boards.
"Kardal here runs Syrian Foods,"
said Oscar. "I introduced him
to the fresh strawberries."
"Good idea," said Jojo.
Then she sat up, curious.
"Hey, Kardal, can I paint
your ethnic foods? I haven't
had a chance ... I bought
some baklava once, but
I wound up eating it."
Kardal laughed. "Come
by the truck," he said. "I'm
sure we'll have something
that'd make a good picture."
You could always stack
falafel, and he had trays
of fruit or vegetables for
dipping into the hummus.
He had several shapes
of baklava, too, if Jojo
wanted to try that again.
The artist promptly
leaned over and asked
Elna to watch her table.
"I could use something
to eat," Jojo said as she
followed them back.
Kardal tried one of
the blueberry muffins,
since there was no telling
when he'd get another
opportunity to eat.
It was delicious,
sweet and crumbly
with tender blueberries.
He passed one to Oscar.
"Here, thanks for telling me
about Bumbleberry Acres."
"You're welcome," Oscar said,
devouring the blueberry muffin.
By the time they reached
Syrian Foods, Aahad was
visibly glad to see Kardal.
"It's good you're back, boss,
otherwise we would run out of
stuff pretty soon," said Aahad.
Kardal could cook fresh things,
so that would stretch it longer,
but they were still getting low.
He set up a tray for Jojo anyway --
Aleppo pepper hummus with pita bread,
falafel, cut fruits and vegetables for
dipping, plus a selection of baklava.
"I will trade you this food for
a picture of it," said Kardal.
"Deal!" Jojo said happily.
She took her tray and
her watercolors to sit at
a nearby picnic table.
"Oscar, thank you for
your tips and introductions,"
said Kardal. "You've been
very helpful for me today."
Oscar gave a cheery wave,
then headed down the path
between rows of food trucks
and booths of other edibles.
Kardal turned his attention
to his truck and what he could
do with the fresh strawberries.
He wondered if the Abenaki story
was true, that berries could heal
things. He hoped that it was true.
His people needed a lot of healing.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character, location, and content notes appear separately.
Character Notes:
Part 1: Aahad and Seniors
Part 2: Ashtun, Heidi, and Brent
Part 3: Cramer, Troy, and Lyndon
Part 4: Cora, Jeseca, and Rhodiola
Part 5: Jojo Holt
Location Notes:
Part 1: Big Farmhouse
Part 2: Studio Garage, Small Farmhouse, & Garage Apartment
Part 3: Berry Fields and Farm Store
(no subject)
Date: 2024-04-24 12:36 pm (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2024-04-24 05:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-04-28 02:29 pm (UTC)Thus was very sweet. I enjoyed it and it made me hungry. I haven't had breakfast yet and now I want berries.. maybe I'll have some on yogurt
Yes ...
Date: 2024-04-29 09:11 am (UTC)