tradition and soft tears when the joy overwhelms

she added flour first,
"This is the way, my dearest."
next, the white sugar,
"This is the way, my dearest."
the oil, the water,
the vanilla and cocoa
"this is the best way"
she said. Then stirred, then folded
until it was smooth
"This is the way, my dearest,"
greasing with short'ning
she smiled then poured in the pan
the thick brown mixture.
"This is the way, my dearest,"
opened the oven
then she smiled. forty minutes
later, the cake done,
we took it out to cool off
the smell filled the house
once cool, we frosted
"This is the way, my dearest,"
with her slow smooth strokes.
"Why daddy?" my baby asked.
"THIS is the way, my dearest."