by GALA P. GOODWIN

Ode to my beloved slow cooker. Ah! You make perfection look so easy. Turkey legs. Curried chicken. 15 bean soup. Just throw everything in but the kitchen sink and you surprise me every time! Flavorful. Pure delight you bring. Your patience is remarkable— you’re my teacher.

Thank you for burning the other end of the stick for me. You’ll be my secret weapon. He’ll think I’m superwoman. He’ll wonder, “How did she run her company, birth our children and manage to feed us for the week? He’ll tell his homies, “I married superwoman; I’m convinced.” And then I’ll blush and share a kiss with you, my perfection, my co-chef, my coconspirator. It’s no wonder Momma gifted me with you when I moved out. She knew you would be the gift that kept on giving. Um! Thank God for Momma! My Momma especially. If I work what Momma gave me right, I’ll have to have her cape repurposed. It’ll reupholster her throne and I’ll use the scraps to make my own cape.

Corn chowder. Chili. Brunswick stew. Oh how I love thee. Let me count the endless recipes. Brisket. Pot roast. Beef with red wine sauce. Nom nom. Swoon. Oh, slow cooker you whisk me away! You cradle me in the comfort of your process. You gently wake me up with your sweet aroma.

Who invented the slow cooker? Can tomorrow’s Google doodle be in your honor? Ode to my beloved slow cooker. Thank you for your many blessings.

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Njeri Etaan. Born Gala P. Goodwin, Writer. Producer. Creator. From the Southern state of Georgia, Njeri Etaan, born Gala Patrice Goodwin is the daughter of Jean Marie and Jerome Edward Goodwin, the sister of Jillisa Ein Goodwin and the auntie to the most beloved Jayda Amor and Skylar Elizabeth. She laughs loud. She loves thick like sticky sweet molasses. Everything that she is; she’s gotten honestly. She always proclaims; “The world ain’t ready”. But in her reflection she realized it never has been or ever will be, which is the essence of being Black– the force that brings urgency for one to reconcile. May my work represent that force: “If the word integration means anything, this is what it means: that we, with love, shall force our brothers to see themselves as they are, to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.” -James Baldwin

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