My baby sister lamented
"we can't just let
the dressing die with Grandma
Somebody need to ask
for the recipe"
Grandma said
"Ain't no recipe
but you can watch me"
That's the only way
I ever learned
anything that stuck
Ain't no measuring cups
or tablespoons gon' guarantee
you done sumthin' right
You gotta watch
You gotta watch and pray
I done lost count of
how many times I followed
every direction
only to whip up somethin'
I wouldn't feed a stray dog
You gotta watch
You gotta watch somebody with soul
You gotta watch somebody that
know what they doin'
Watch somebody that
ain't read no book
ain't wrote no book
and still do it better than most
Watch somebody
that ain't precious 'bout her secrets
Somebody that ain't got no secrets
Watch somebody that ain't
worried 'bout no competition
That aint keepin' nothin' from you
Watch somebody that give you
all the ingredients and know
you still ain't gon do it like them
Ain't nothin'
ever tasted the same
made by different hands
Ain't no recipe
gon' erase your touch
Ain't no recipe
gon' bring nobody back
The tradition
ain't the flavor
Never has been
The tradition
is the watching
The watching
The passing
The giving
The receiving
The letting go
Releasing
to hands that can still
hold tight
The holding tight
The trusting
The trusting
The learning to trust
your own senses
The smelling
The tasting
The knowing
that you
watched close
That you
spent time
That you
learned right
but it still ain't gon' taste
quite like grandma's
And it never was s'pose to
Everyone who loves you
wants you to be yourself
Everyone who loves you
would rather be a legend
than a ghost that keeps sayin'
you can't do nothin' right
Child
Don't you know
all your Mommas
was so proud
the moment you decided to learn
how to feed yourself
How to keep yourself
alive