It's Still Life

Granny Eunice

Granny says she’ll give me
a dish of tongues
if the screen door slams.

The screen door slams.

Fly paper swings
and snags sunny yellow
in the summer breeze.

Bacon’s frying
in curls and shrinks.
Spits. The flame jumps.

Granny’s arms are dressed
in skin and flour.
Butter on her cold fingers.

It’s a blessing to a baker, she says.

Scones. Dough
rolled. Folded in threes.
Pressed. Folded. Cut.

Granny bustles
the kitchen. Faded wallpaper.
Creaking cupboards.

This is love, it’s no thin drizzle.

She talks to
plants. Poultices
from herbs. Learn, she says.

Granny says
Little Red Riding Hood
is half a daft stick.

Granny knows about wolves at the door.
They explode continents,
and then play the piano.

And don’t drink from well –
workmen threw their teabags
down there.

That’s what Granny says.

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Written for Sarah’s dVerse Poets “Grandmother” and #JusJoJan. AI Digital Art is mine and created using Midjourney’s bot (v4). **granny and teenage girl in kitchen cooking, flour on arms face, ref illustration kay nielsen or dulac, gouache, watercolor, pastel, ink, wide angle view, full width, –no chaos –ar 3:2 –q 2 –test –creative –upscale.** Image and poem ©Misky 2023 Shared on Twitter #amwriting @midjourney