Poetry

It's a Southern Thing

Katharine FolkesAugust 24, 202629 views

I opened up the ice box,

(it’s an old “Southren” expression)

It was midnight, I was starvin,’

It’d become a real obsession.

But, this time it wasn’t ice cream

That I craved, though usually t’was,

No, now I longed for somethin’ else

like carrot sticks, because

I’d made some good Ranch Dressin’

So I dipped and crunched away,

And before I knew it, they were gone.

As my friend says, “Oy Vey!”

Since I’d eaten semi-healthy,

It made sense, next, could be sweet,

so, a choc’late, sea-salt caramel

was the perfect, final treat.

Right then and there, I knew that I

Should go right back to bed;

I did, and got all comfy, but

I read my book, instead.

And so, today, I’m wanderin’

in a lazy, funky haze;

and my ever-hungry tummy said,

“I want Hellman’s mayonnaise!”

So, I got out good old Hellman’s,

Put it on tomatoes, sliced,

Got a pitcher, made some sweet tea,

Got some cubes out, made it iced.

Oh, my, that’s my kind of breakfast,

rather strange, but on the whole,

I not only think it fills the bill,

it feeds the Southern soul!

Reviews (3)

Rachelle Allen

8/24/2026

Omigoodness, Katharine, I'M SOUTHERN!!! Because I love ALLLL those same foods Southerner You does...well, no, not the sweet tea. I'm a New York coffee-monger all the way. But who would have guessed? Not I; not ever!! (I do love your expressions down there, though! A former piano mom of mine taught me that one is "y'all." But MORE than one is "all y'all." And she also taught me that Southerners, unlike us Yanks, don't have "meltdowns." Y'all have "come-aparts," which I absolutely, positively LOVE!!! It's so genteel...and yet simultaneously so very spot-on INSULTING! PerFECtion!!! This was a wonderful peek into both your refrigerator and your hungry soul. xoxox OH!! And PS - am I the "oy vey"-saying friend to whom you made the shout-out?? Privileged to be part of your creative endeavor!!! xoxox

edited 8/24/2026

Katharine Folkes

8/24/2026

of course, you are! Thank you for your funny and very nice comments. So you like tomatoes and mayo for breaky, too? and chocolate sea salt caramels, and carrots and ranch dressing? wonderful! Am delighted to have you as my semi-Southern friend :) Actually, at least in Texas, where I've lived since the late 80s, we say we have the fall-aparts

Rachelle Allen

8/25/2026

The FALL-APARTS!!! Omg! That's priceless, too!!! My friend who told me "come-apart" is from Denton, TX. Know it?

Katharine Folkes

8/25/2026

si :)

Rachel Gosling

8/25/2026

The Words That Got to Me

Since I’d eaten semi-healthy, It made sense, next, could be sweet. I loved the logic in this - it made me giggle with self-recognition.

Suggestions / Possible Tweaks

Southren- I think you meant Southern.

This was a highly amusing poem to start my day. Thank you for the lightness and the laughs!

Katharine Folkes

8/25/2026

Thanks, Rachel! Glad I could help you start your day with a laugh! :)

Katharine Folkes

8/25/2026

Some people in the rural south actually say Southren. but I shouldn't have put it in there, Made me sound uneducated :(

Berniethebard

8/25/2026

It reads like a ballad to the midnight eater. And we've all been there. I like the way the mind works towards the sweet treat. Like the carrot sticks have earned it. Again we've all been there. It sort of brought to mind the old advert for R White's Lemonade - the secret lemonade drinker. I do like how you bring in Hellman's Mayonnaise. In fact the rhymes throughout are a delight. The ever hungry tummy reminds me of my younger granddaughter who is forever saying she's hungry. Her midnight feast would be bubblegum ice cream but sadly that leaves its mark round the lips.

Katharine Folkes

8/25/2026

so Granddad knows when she's been into the bubblegum ice cream. Only a child could like that flavor, Thanks for reading my poem, Bernie, and for your kind comments.