Filling An Empty Basket in a Pandemic

June 26, 2020

My sister took my grandmother’s ring because, she said, she loves diamonds more than I do. Maybe she does. All I saw when I looked at that ring was my grandmother, how she always wore it, how I loved her.

A fire took my studio; my ex took a lot from me, including my dog; then my cousin took the end of life cocktail. People take things for reasons they can go on and on telling you about; but even though we can't hold the funeral until people are allowed to gather again, my cousin had the only reasons out of the whole bunch of them that I understand.

Now I have nothing, really, except my dreams. Most of them are old, or broken, and some of them are missing parts. I gather them in a basket. I think they were left to me because of all the bruises. But I know I can do something with them; when apples get like that, you toss them with some sugar and make a pie.

My father thought a piece of pie cured any heartache; my grandmother was a wonderful baker; and I know the secret is to keep the filling so simple any dream will do.

5 cups peeled and sliced [into small chunks] organic apples
1 cup organic blueberries
3/4 cups organic brown sugar
1/3 cup organic oats, finely ground in the blender
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon organic ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
1 tablespoon ghee
Extra ghee to liberally grease the pan.

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a buttered glass pie pan. Bake in a warm oven [350 degrees] for thirty minutes or until soft.

*You can make a crust. I just like to eat the filling.

Dr. Christina Gessler is a poet and photographer. She holds a PhD in American women's history, and is a gender channel editor for New Books Network. She and her community were still recovering from the Thomas Fire and the Debris flow when the pandemic hit. She lost her beloved pumpkin pie recipe in the fire, but plans on baking until she recreates it.