Arugula

Salads back when I was young,
The ones made by my mother,
Had a base of iceberg lettuce,
Iceberg and no other.

On the lettuce leaves, you’d find
Some carrot coins, all scattered,
Topped with sliced tomatoes,
The ingredients that mattered.

Sometimes rounds of cucumber
And olives (green) appeared.
Russian dressing from the bottle
On the top was smeared.

Mom was not a gourmet cook;
Her meals were quite routine.
She was Miss Predictable,
If you know what I mean.

They say the apple doesn’t fall
Too far from where it grew;
So when it comes to making meals,
I’m pretty clueless, too.

My husband is the family chef
And salad starts the dinner.
Arugula’s the guarantee
That it will be a winner.

Carrots still show up, as well
As grape tomatoes, whole.
Homemade dressing – secret blend –
Deserves its starring role.

I’m not a great big salad fan,
But I will gladly eat
A salad with arugula,
Which makes a meal complete.