Kathleen Ripley Leo
Tiramisu is an elusive silken dream
I make for the privileged among us.
For instance, I make Tiramisu for fathers,
like mine, a Navy seaman who served
on a battleship in the Pacific
and came home a changed man
so said my mom. He worked hard
to support his family, never complained,
never explained, like all of that greatest generation.
And I make tiramisu for all the beautiful moms,
like mine, once a three-year-old dream
child immigrant whose face I held as she
peacefully lay expiring in her very old age,
while I softly sang the rosary near her ear.
Of course, I make tiramisu for children,
especially my oldest son whose miracle
birth at two pounds beat all the odds
and now stands tall and healthy next to
his wife and his own sons and daughter.
And our second son who I swear laughed
when he was born and then
thumpingly crawled away laughing at five months
out of my arms, and he ran like the wind
into his amazing life.
And tiramisu is for all spouses.
Especially for mine as he nursed me
thru hip replacement and knee replacement
and laughed as I lay in bed ringing my little bell.
I’d make Tiramisu for any doctor,
especially the one who diagnosed the
fatal flaw in my body and saved my life.
And tiramisu is for all friends
especially the ones who wipe my tears
when I suffer, and then celebrate my wins.
I’ll make a tiramisu for you, friend of the heart.
An elusive silken dream,
to help make all your dreams come true.
© KRLeo 2025