Sometimes, what you need is a prompt...

Sometimes a prompt can help with writer’s block. In a recent creative writing class we were asked to write about a meal in 200 words with an emphasis on senses. We would encourage anyone to give it a go and share their version on social media with #thelayeredonion.

Below, Linda, a member of The Layered Onion team, shares her response to the prompt.

I closed my eyes briefly, opening to the bountiful display of colors, textures and cacophony of voices arguing about the lost football game. Inhaling deeply, hoping, no desperate to remember when the juicy turkey thighs and legs held that hint of bourbon, maple brine crisped to the skin from the grill. I shuddered—bleach. I muffled back the nausea. Another meal ruined by trying to recapture the essence held hostage somewhere in my body. Why did all the complex smells take on the grit of bathroom cleaners. The last place I want to eat a meal.

These eight months without smell and taste torture my days.  Mostly, I stick to the frozen mangos whipped like orange sherbet or the piece of toast made with my homemade fuji apple butter. The cinnamon and clove just barely present despite the additional tablespoons dumped in the crockpot as the apples begin gurgling to solids.

Holidays are tough. The aromas are memories. Dad basting the turkey. Mom creating from her garden all the rest.  Carrying on their traditions keeps my parents with me. Now, the loss feels greater. Will I ever get them back? The doctor claims someday.