The Work of Women

I never liked cooking until I made my first soup.
This work of women to feed hungry mouths
was no desire of mine to claim,
but I resigned myself
with the leftovers of a celebration
not to be wasted.

Not until the onions stained my fingers with
pungence and the amber stock
became a means of sustenance to satisfy life
did I feel the power that this
potion of nutriment could have
in turning me into a woman.