Mom Was There

This kid loved to run,

but gravel and asphalt were not kind,

and I went down often.

Bloodied knees, scuffed chin, and injured hands

were left to Band-aids to cover,

while  for my spirit

Mom was there.

Dressed in adult armor,

my tuxedo jacket as white as my face,

I all but crushed the corsage box in anxiety,

preparing to meet her parents.

Out with our car and the girl together

for an eternity of trying to say the right thing.

I knew however prom would go,

coming home, all ears to my adventure,

Mom was there.

That first day of school,

oh, not that earlier one where

memory had graciously slipped away,

but this was college, away from home alone.

More than just a school transition,

this was a “no going back” dive

into life in a big new pond,

a frightening ‘gigantor’ where my only reassurance was

Mom was there

Mid thirties arrived

with conviction and shaky resolve

that my most-loved needed telling

there would never be grandchildren.

I sat her down in front of me

and, with core deep fear and sweating hands, my words spilled out

“I am gay.”

With  unwavering acceptance and love,

Mom was there

I hovered bedside

at the nursing home,

she speechless due to stroke,

her hand relaxed and released mine,

and, just like that

Mom wasn’t there.

Mom

Jerry's Mango Cheesecake

Jerry’s Mango Cheesecake Recipe

Posted per request for Caribbean recipes. Prep time includes standing time and cooling time (5 hours).Recipe source: Turtle Bay Cookbook with modifications by Jerry

6¾ hours | 5½ hours prep

1 10 inch cake
· 1  cup chocolate wafers; crumbled crumbs
· 1/2 cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts
· 1/4 cup brown sugar
· 3 tablespoons butter
· 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 1/2 cups sour cream
· 4 eggs
· 1 1/2 cups mango puree (made from ripe mangoes or use thawed frozen mangoes)
- 1/4 cup Rumona liquor or Jumbie Rum Liquor
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
· 1 teaspoonlemon juice
· 1 1/2 cups sour cream
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 2 tablespoons apricot jam
· 2 tablespoons corn syrup
· 1 teaspoon lime juice
· 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

PREP
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Butter a 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
3. Combine first 3 ingredients (graham cracker crumbs- sugar) in a small bowl.
4. Stir in melted butter.
5. Press mixture into prepared pan.
    bake the crust in the springform pan at 300 degrees for 8 minutes
    let cool before adding cake batter.  The nuts can burn quickly so watch this bake carefully.
6. Combine cream cheese and sugar in a food processor or blender; process until combined.
7. Add sour cream, eggs, mango puree, liquor (Rumona or Jumbie), vanilla and lemon juice; process using on/off turns until combined.
8. Pour mixture into prepared crust.
9. Bake for 1 hour or until set. ( I added 13 minutes to bake)
10. Let cheesecake cool for 1 1/2  hours.
11. While cheesecake is cooling prepare topping by combining sour cream and sugar in a food processor until combined.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F.
13. After cheesecake is at room temperature (1 1/2 hours cooling at room temperature), top cheesecake with topping.
14. Bake 8 minutes.
15. Remove from oven.
16. Chill for at least 4 hours.

Serving Sauce
2 mangos pureed with 1/4 cup Rumona or Jumbie
drizzle sauce on plate, serve with cake slice over