big safe knives
her greedy hands cook for me
slicing limes into such thin wheels
ginger honey sesame to steam
in this english culture
with the least amount of time
to cook in all of europe
as she eats i touch her hands
and feel grease
the salt of it is so good
breaking the sweet white fish with her fingers
its flesh falling
my mum taught me cutting onions
and scrambled egg
beans on toast or frying vegetables
at my dad’s i got beady eyes shouting
sweet things in my thief mouth
being too loud washing up
my kitchen with you is a warm place
with everything broken
heating water on the stove
and coffee grounds in the teapot
getting full not knowing
how many calories
no one watching
only eating for the love
not caring what’s broken
not caring how loud
drinking soft brown sugar
and cloves in our tea
eating breakfast lunch and dinner
safe kitchen with your big knives
bash the garlic dressing
raw on our breath all day
made me want it
made it simple
only a second of doubt thinking should i eat this
passing quickly
Adrienne Wilkinson’s work has appeared in The Interpreter’s House, bath magg and The Manchester Review, and her debut pamphlet repeating mouths was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2021. She is studying MA Poetry at the University of East Anglia.