Why Homemade Flavor Still Matters
This Shit Lasts Forever
“This shit lasts forever,”
he announced proudly,
holding up a can of something
that used to be food
before it got a chemistry degree.
Three ingredients I can pronounce,
seventeen I can’t,
and an expiration date in the year 2087.
My great-grandchildren
will inherit this soup.
Meanwhile, I’m at home
destroying perfectly good vegetables
by turning them into something
that will spoil in three days
like some kind of amateur.
I’m chopping onions
that make me cry,
burning garlic
because I got distracted,
creating dishes
that require actual attention,
actual time,
actual risk of failure.
How inefficient of me,
how inconvenient,
how absolutely,
ridiculously worth it
when someone takes a bite
and makes that sound,
you know the one,
that says this tastes like
someone gave a damn.
But sure, let’s celebrate
the immortal mac and cheese,
the everlasting beef stew,
the undying tomato sauce
that will outlive us all.
At least when the apocalypse comes,
we’ll have perfectly preserved mediocrity.
(2019, © Julia Delaney)
Be Alive 🌱
Love ❤️, Julia
Rhyme & Reason
![[section label="Regret, You Silent Sculptor"] [row style="small" v_align="equal" h_align="center"] [col span="7" span__sm="12" span__md="6" animate="blurIn"] Grooves Regret works in the dark. Chisel and mallet, carving valleys in my chest, grooves in my mind, hollows I didn't know were there until I fall into them. It shapes with "what if," with "if only," with the door I didn't walk through, the call that went to voicemail, the words that sat in my throat and stayed there. It keeps reworking my memories, pressing new grooves over old, until I can't tell anymore which version I lived and which one it made. The groove gets deeper. The chisel returns to the same line. I feel it wearing through and I hold still for it like I'm helping. But my hands are moving too. On different clay. Something regret hasn't touched yet. Two sculptors. Same room. One facing what was. One facing what's here. Neither puts down their tools. [gap height="10px"] [ux_text font_size="0.75" text_align="left"] (2018, © Julia Delaney) [/ux_text] [/col] [col span="5" span__sm="12" span__md="6"] [ux_image id="27223" image_hover="glow" depth="1" animate="blurIn"] [/col] [/row] [/section] The past is already carved. What matters is who's holding the chisel now... Be Alive 🌱 Love ❤️, Julia [section bg="24103" divider_top="waves-opacity" divider_top_flip="0" divider_top_to_front="0" divider="waves-opacity" divider_flip="0"] [ux_text text_align="center"] more from this hour: [/ux_text] [gap] [blog_posts style="default" type="row" col_spacing="xsmall" columns="3" columns__md="1" depth_hover="5" animate="blurIn" ids="27202,8949,27229" show_date="false" excerpt="false" comments="false" image_height="56.25%" image_hover="glow" image_hover_alt="zoom"] [/section] [block id= "poetry"] [block id="disclaimer"]](https://eadn-wc05-15915244.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/poetry-about-life-711x400.jpg)
DISCLAIMER: The materials and the information contained on the Julia Delaney website are provided for general and educational purposes only and do not constitute any legal, medical, or other professional advice on any subject matter. None of the information on our videos is a substitute for a diagnosis and treatment by your health professional. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.
