Peanut butter cookies

Press the fork onto the dough

Only twice, no more than that.

My grandma is beside me

She made the batter

I sneak in a lick

She pretends not to notice.

I press the fork onto the dough

Only twice, no more than that

Yet, I do it three times

She pretends not to notice.

The cookies bake in the oven

I squat in front of it,

maybe my eyes will make them bake faster

But no, an exact 9 minutes later she takes them out

I try just one

Or two

Or three

She pretends not to notice.

I say they’re yummy,

And I look for napkins,

excited to take some home

For papa

For mama

And she notices.

She smiles and tells me

that I did a good job

I don’t even remember when she did the dishes

But she still said that I did good

That I am a good daughter for caring for my parents

And an excellent partner in the kitchen.

She takes the recipe page out of her book

For the peanut butter cookies

And it feels like she is giving me a piece of herself

An honorable gift

I did nothing to deserve

So I will keep giving

As she gave to me.