And now for something completely different...
I remember so well the summers when my kids were growing up and their beverage of choice was always Kool-Aid. I wonder how many gallons of that stuff I mixed over those years. Well, Marcus Jackson understands and he thinks that beverage deserves to be celebrated.
by Marcus Jackson
You turn the kitchen
tap’s metallic stream
into tropical drink,
extra sugar whirlpooling
to the pitcher-bottom
like gypsum sand.
Purplesaurus Rex, Roarin’
Rock-A-Dile Red, Ice Blue
Island Twist, Sharkleberry Fin;
on our tongues, each version
keeps a section, like tiles
on the elemental table.
In ninth grade, Sandra
employed a jug of Black Cherry
to dye her straightened
bangs burgundy.
When toddlers swallow you,
their top lips mustache in color
as if they’ve kissed paint.
The trendy folks can savor
all that imported mango nectar
and health-market juice.
We need factory-crafted packets,
unpronounceable ingredients,
a logo cute enough to hug,
a drink unnaturally sweet
so that, on the porch,
as summer sun recedes,
Granddad takes out his teeth
to make more mouth to admit you.
extra sugar whirlpooling
to the pitcher-bottom
like gypsum sand.
Purplesaurus Rex, Roarin’
Rock-A-Dile Red, Ice Blue
Island Twist, Sharkleberry Fin;
on our tongues, each version
keeps a section, like tiles
on the elemental table.
In ninth grade, Sandra
employed a jug of Black Cherry
to dye her straightened
bangs burgundy.
When toddlers swallow you,
their top lips mustache in color
as if they’ve kissed paint.
The trendy folks can savor
all that imported mango nectar
and health-market juice.
We need factory-crafted packets,
unpronounceable ingredients,
a logo cute enough to hug,
a drink unnaturally sweet
so that, on the porch,
as summer sun recedes,
Granddad takes out his teeth
to make more mouth to admit you.
The names are amazing. Kool-Aid is completely unknown to me.
ReplyDeleteKool-Aid is a fruity flavored drink mix that was very popular with kids when mine were pre-teens, and I guess it is still around today though I'm not sure it is still as popular.
DeleteI remember the packets with nothing but mix from my 1960's childhood. My Mom would add the sugar but not the full cup. Maybe saving money but I liked the tartness they were given. I also remember frozen Hawaiian Punch from my childhood; it came in frozen cans similar to those of concentrated orange juice.
ReplyDeleteYes, Hawaiian Punch was another favorite with kids and it did have the advantage of not having to be mixed.
DeleteSuch a fun poem! I love it. :D
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
DeleteBelieve it or not, I have never had Kool-Aid. I only know it in association with Jim Jones and the massacre in Georgetown, Guyana. For some reason, Dorothy, I am no longer being notified of your posts. I will sign out of your followers list and sign back in and see if that helps. I suddenly remembered this morning that I had not seen the Sunday poem or a new roundup and checked by clicking on your name in a comment you left on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you checked. Blogger and the internet can sometimes do strange things.
DeleteSummer and Kool-aid seem to go together here. My mom was a fan, and it was much cheaper than soda, so we were sometimes treated to it during the hot days of this time of the year.
ReplyDeleteKool-Aid was never my drink of choice but I was happy to provide it for the kids as it seemed better than some alternatives.
Delete