Esther Chilton

Thank you to everyone who has been sending in their wonderful work for my Guest Writer Spot. This week, my talented student, Danielle Dinally is featured, with some of her poems.

OX-TAIL

A river valley, no gaps in between, oxen, mindless.

They pay no mind. The tail cut then cleansed.

Hung. Bide the time…

Frozen in time, pacing is always good. Pace, before the tail is cut

into more than a dozen pieces. A unity bound together like a bouquet

of flowers, white stigmas, red petals.

An outside force is anxiously waiting, the burner heats. Fresh petals

drown in a pool of tap water. It looks like nothing, it’s natural to

start from nothing in order to serve the best. Never knowing what

will happen, boiling commences, heat graduates and condensation

clouds not only the see-through lid.

There is no shame, not the oxen’s shame, no shame from the flowers

shriveling into a bitter colour. It’s the outcome of a rich, juicy taste.

Put into a stew, curried up, with a remarkable, but thoughtful quality of vegetables.

Spreading butter delicately on the staples at the side delicately, but cautiously.

Careful, in some parts of the world the bit of yellow and white is meant to kill ya

The dish is an art that may be quick, but a process, like everything. It is passed

down from old to young.

Instruction, stance, and then cook.

***

JKR (J.K Rowling)

Gazing out the window

A cool cup of coffee

Another page pushed aside-

Pitch, castle, gold, mandrake, half a giant—

A world created.

***

Syrup Tapping

A wrinkled rugged bark

with its deceiving look.

Tap Tap tapping in my spigot

…Drip, drip, drip,

-A sweet sap brewed.

***