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Her handwriting leans
like she’s still over the counter.
Flour, sugar, cinnamon –
and then,
“Until it feels right.”
The cards are smudged at the edges.
I press my thumb
where hers must have rested.
Nothing else of her remains.
Just these quiet instructions:
stir gently.
wait.
taste.
When the oven warms the kitchen,
it is almost enough.
My name is Melissa Elder, a poet from New Jersey. When I’m not reading or writing poetry, I’m trying to capture it through a lens. I have two collections of published poetry, The Mundane and Nostalgia. My third book, In the Quiet, will be released in the Fall of 2026.