Little Inklings 2024

ODE By: Marti Macedo ’28 A crisp chocolate milk arrives at my table, it’s not done right I notice the dark chocolate powder, Nesquik. She would have mixed it 3 times over, With her secret powder, stored in a ceramic hen. It would have come in my favorite cup, two hens symbolizing her and I. She watched me drink it slowly, seeing if I slurped, or held it correctly. She would praise my manners, saying the queen could learn a thing or three from me. Then she told me how much I reminded her of her mother, Our caramel hair, the way we drank morning tea and the way I set her outfit out on the bed One timewewere on the porch, Andshe toldmehowimportant it was to remember family how she did. She taught me how to love, How it was different for everyone, Her laugh would have then made an volcano erupt, Then she would have walked over to the goiaba trees, and taught me how to pick the sweetest ones, She would have also said this would help me in later years, not just for fruits. We would have picked out the seeds together, and she would teach me what months were the best for eating our fruit. We would both look into the bosque, and she would start like she always did, Telling me scary stories, that now only fooled my cousins, But when she could still fool me, she taught me to never go into the woods alone, And to never bring her sweets to her house from the forest, for I knew she would probably just make them herself. She would then have brushed my hair, just the way I liked it, She knew not to pull too hard. She would also notice my nails, and take me straight to the salon, She’d complain the whole time about how they never did them right, But be content either way with how they came out. We would come home for dinner, And she would teach me how to steal a chocolate from the jar before dinner, She knew I wanted onewithout me even saying it. I would go through the next day, with her reminding me of everything she taught me the day before. She taught me how to love, to learn, and to not forget her. But either way, I drink the artificial chocolate milk, Even though I don’t like it, It reminds me of those memories years ago. 42