Did Hansel know we’d judge him so? Did he think his actions wise, Or just a desperate act? These are weighty matters With my dates & ham, Olives salty, fruit sweet, Lemonade, a little too frozen. But the Bread!! So good that we never Bothered to take it From its baking pan. We just scooped it out In chunks and slices Slathered with hot butter And drowned it in honey. Beginning as a boxed Gift from fellow lovers And baked with Goodness and Guinness . Now, little remains in the Tin in which it was made, Except a minor slice And corners full of crumbles. So many crumbs, Hansel would see it As an embarrassment Of riches! Each tiny nugget A marvel of fermentation, Yeast cheerfully consuming and converting Sugar to CO2 & EtOH. Irreversible acts Merging disperate Components into Pleasing perfection. Tiny solar systems Of delight. Atoms orbit their Heavenly bodies Making me: G A L A C T U S Eater of worlds! Or As I know it: Breakfast. Maybe next time, Hansel will just stay home.
This was a reflection on a loaf of bread we baked and consumed in short order. The bread was part of a baking kit a friend gifted us many months ago. It was novel in that it required a can of Guinness in the process. We intended to invite our friends over to enjoy our delicious gift, but they never made it.
Is it not always that way with friends? Intentions of love and time together, but life gets in the way. Work, family, life. Sometimes we are all very close, and sometimes we're almost strangers. We orbit each others lives, coming and going, but always sharing the gravity of love.
I did tell them later how much we enjoyed the gift, that it inspired a small trifle and lamented they were unable to join us for its deliciousness. They have since moved away. Not far far away, but far enough that I know we'll slowly become strangers. I hope that this will be the apex of their distance from us and that one day, we will once more enjoy perigee.
Keep your loved ones close. Even if the only place you can do so is in your heart. And enjoy a loaf of bread in their behalf. You might find the breadcrumbs take you back to moments where you lived and laughed together.
I miss you.