Thursday, June 18, 2009

To a New Potato


(with profound apologies to Rabbie Burns)

Wee, sleekit, blushing, tender, beastie
Ready for the glutton’s feastie
Cook’d fifteen minutes, not too hasty
Well worth waiting for;
Golly Moses, you’re some tasty,
Think I’ll hae some more.

Diggèd a short half hour ago
Rushed to stove and steamed just so
Butter needed? Hoot mon, no!
Temptingly displayed
The other dishes are laid low
Puts them in the shade.

You can keep your store-bought big’uns
Mammoths fit for serfs to pig on
As for us, we’ll just keep diggin’
Till the season’s o’er.
Eat the little coral smidgens
Then go plant some more!

4 comments:

Henya said...

Oh, I love this! But now where do I get new potatoes in Brooklyn? I guess a trip to Farmers Market is in the near future for me. I love
the poetry of Burns. I loved it translated into Russia, but the original of course is the true marvel.

Packrat said...

LOL

I should take offense since I live in the state where the great ones are grown. BUT, we also grow the little ones. One of my favorite things - new potatoes. Nummmmmm

Shay said...

Henya, these were pulled out of our garden barely half an hour before we ate them. They were so tender the skins were coming off in my hands when I washed them.

There is nothing to compare with the taste of a fresh-dug potato.

Henya said...

Oh, I definitely agree, We did this while we lived on the farm. We also boiled the water, and then went and got the corn from the field. But the Brooklin does not grow much greens, and so the Farmer's Market is the closest we can do.