Sam Kauffman Poet Free verse

Applesauce Cake

Applesauce Cake

Once again autumn’s jubilee of gold and umber leaves
Drifts on a lazy Sunday morning rain
Past kitchen windows
Where scents of coffee and frying bacon
Walk hand in hand
Then race each other up the stairs
To look for dreamers missed by the dawn
While aunts and uncles,
Cousins, sisters, brothers,
Fathers, mothers
Squeeze side by side into the breakfast nook,
Touched by the shadow of Annette’s camellia tree
Leaves tousled by the hand of autumn,
To breakfast over fall chrysanthemums
When Grammie clears her throat,
Midst suspended coffee cups,
Declaring:
“This year I don’t think I’ll bake applesauce cake
For Thanksgiving.”

Gentle rains thunder in the silence
Before stunned voices jump to life again
Envisioning a holiday without
Her crunchy pickles, 
New made jellies,
Opened for the harvest festival,
Completed by the allspiced cake 
Studded with plump summer raisins
And toasted nuts;
“All right.” she smiling says,
Looking deep into her coffee cup,
A gypsy searching for the future,
“If you really want applesauce cake….”
One voice resounds:
“We really want applesauce cake!”
Outside the passing wind
Pats down the season’s
Ruffled hair
While serenity settles back
Into her place at breakfast
Once again.

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Susan Ashley September 5, 2025 at 7:47 AM My Dearest Rhyme Time Friend, your fantastic nostalgic imagery brought me to the center of the scene to sit in the breakfast nook enjoying the revelry of it all. Your verse is as sensory fiesta, my dear poetry sis! I was struck by the power of your poem's vivid imagery, especially "Looking deep into her coffee cup,/A gypsy searching for the future" -wow! So rich in poetic expression! Your golden pen shines with your talent! Congratulations for your success in Mark's contest. Warmest wishes, sent to you, my sweet friend, on swirling umber leaves.. ~Susan

Mark Toney August 27, 2025 at 12:23 PM Sam, a lovely nostalgic poem that had me smelling both the “coffee and frying bacon.” Yum! It also brought back memories of both of my grandmas and their beautiful lives that I was so blessed to be part of. Congratulations on your top 10 win on Mile 10 of my 2025 Poetry Marathon Contest. Keep your running shoes on, because Mile 11 has already started. You can find your overall standing in my Mile 10 blog post.

Charles Messina January 26, 2020 at 8:30 AM I love this, Sam. It reminds me of the times my siblings (all six) and I would sit around the table laughing and enjoying life with each other. I never heard of applesauce cake, but it sounds tasty. Nice write! Charlie Sam Kauffman January 26, 2020 at 1:23 PM Hi Charlie, Thank you! This poems seems to have a life of its own especially bringing up warm family memories

Andrea Dietrich January 9, 2020 at 8:19 PM so happy to hear this was inspired by you reading of MY childhood memories!! Sam Kauffman January 26, 2020 at 1:26 PM I think that's the way we work together; build together; inspire each other and build a community of poets! Thank you!

Connie Marcum Wong January 9, 2020 at 1:47 PM Sam, you are so great at describing everyday life in a poetic way that makes a reader eager to continue reading. I love reading poetry like this. Congratulations on your top win! Blessings for a great new year! xxoo Sam Kauffman January 9, 2020 at 6:15 PM Aloha! Thank you for your support and encouragement for both this poem and Scented Leaves! So good to hear from you. I am truly humbled. Happy New Year.

Old Buck January 8, 2020 at 1:07 PM Sam: You put into a wonderful piece what many of us with "good granny's" have lived. We all have that special item she dare not "forget". And many have her recipes. Thanks for sharing with all of us on the soup. oldbuck Sam Kauffman January 12, 2020 at 7:46 PM Thank you for your message. I had hoped this poem would bring back memories for readers as it did for me!

Brenda Chiri January 8, 2020 at 12:28 PM Congratulations on your top win!;) Sam Kauffman January 9, 2020 at 6:16 PM Thank you!

Sandra Adams January 8, 2020 at 9:40 AM this one made me think of my niece when she was little i watched her and she wasn't big on many sweets but she loved applesauce cake so i made it weekly for her... good write... congrats on your win :)

Camelia Radu January 8, 2020 at 1:05 AM one coffe, one inspiration. I like that dream

Evelyn Judy Buehler January 7, 2020 at 11:12 PM I like the way Grammie looked into her coffee cup for the future, and I also like the play between the weather outdoors and the brewing storm inside. Very nice, Sam. :) Sam Kauffman January 12, 2020 at 7:51 PM Thank you! Those stormy October Sunday mornigns are part of the fabric of my life. I wanted to honor them and to recognize how life inside was reflection of what was happening outside.

Eve Roper January 7, 2020 at 7:05 PM lovely picture you've painted. the description is wonderful Sam Kauffman January 7, 2020 at 7:08 PM Hi Eve, Thank you, as always, for your message. I can still see and feel and taste those October Sunday mornings. I am so glad it came through in the poem!

Andrea Dietrich January 7, 2020 at 3:59 PM this was a really cute telling of this story about Grandma and her startling announcement. very charming. Sam Kauffman January 7, 2020 at 7:06 PM Hi Andrea! Thank you for your message. I decided to enter it in one of the contests after reading 2 of your poems about childhood memories. I still bake her cake and so does one of my sons. This was almost a family ritual.