First Proving
A puffball lump of dough
kneaded warm like flesh
swells in the bowl,
drugs our lungs with yeast,
pops little bubbles to keep us hooked
promises a feast of crust
parcelling a whiteness that fluffs
against our tongues, then trails
a tantalising aftertaste of sweetness.
All this is ours
if we trust it, if we let it live
a little longer.
Nairn Kennedy has been published in Ambit and Orbis, and has twice been a prizewinner in the Ilkley Walter Swan poetry competition. He has also been longlisted in the National Poetry Competition.