The Halo round a Frying Pan
— is hard to see
under the cold white light
of a halogen bulb.
Blackened by use
and misuse,
caked in fat
from yesterday’s
fry-up, the empty
vessel is restless
to go to work again.
Where there’s grease
there’s worth.
No magic. No religion.
And yet what
a metamorphosis
this pan can
effect – transparent glair
to white of egg in minutes.
That charred miracle
on your plate
(you’ll eat without
saying grace),
having witnessed
the coalface,
the blaster’s work,
in excoriating heat
to render it rare
medium or well done,
will whisper
your prayer for you.
Hardened
to its cast foundations,
the frying pan
will turn a care-worn ear
from such meaningless
incantations.
Ingrid Murray has completed two novels. Her short fiction has been published by Peirene Press. She has just been awarded her Masters in Creative Writing with distinction from Edinburgh University and will start her PhD at Edinburgh in September 2014. In 2013 she was short-listed for The Jane Martin Poetry Prize. Some of her poetry can be found online at Open Mouse