Warm Masterpieces
by Elaine Hagebush (1996)
Baked deep, crispy brown,
bread resting on soft kitchen towels.
Yeasty odors fill a kitchen,
drawing all the family to its warmth.
Battered bread knife resting nearby,
a cube of butter, opened and ready, waiting.
At long last sounds of crunching crust,
slicing crispy skin, exposing succulent spongy depths.
A masterpiece layered with butter,
steam still arising,
mouths watering, craving, wanting.
Teeth tearing into the soft, warm delicacy.
Everyone’s had their fill, the kitchen towel
strewn with dark brown crumbs,
the cube of butter nothing but a sliver,
not a crust of bread to be found in all the kitchen.
