Hello everyone, and welcome to another terrible poem! This time I thought I’d write an ode of thanks to my partner who does an awful lot for our family.
Although our existence is a bit strange (whose isn’t?), we get by. Although I don’t leave the house, I’m still an active parent. Although he still works and manages the practical tasks, I still try to make sure he gets time to himself every day.
It’s easy to make judgements about the way people live and love because, as we always say, we just don’t know what’s going on behind that fire safety door. Everyone is fighting a battle, everyone is struggling, everyone is trying to smile and make the best of this shit show.
‘Sizzle’ is a peek behind our fire door into a strange world of chronic pain and expressed love.
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Sizzle
I hear from the kitchen
That familiar ping, ping
The oven is opening
My belly starts to sing
As I wait on, quiet
I hear my man make
A chorus of sounds
That’ll soon fill my plate
A crackle, a pop
Then glug, glug, glug, click
A packet is rustling
With bangers so thick
Soon comes a snap
Then a beep, then a chop
The gas hob starts hissing
As the olive oil drops
Pop, pop, more noises
What’s happening now?
The knife is being sharpened
To chop up our chow
More popping and tapping
The smell wafts inside
My body’s responding
With sounds I can’t hide
“It’ll just be a minute”
I hear my man call
“Ok, I’m coming!”
Now I have to crawl
The snaps and the crackles
Aren’t always the chef
Often these noises
Are the skeleton of Steph
Griping and grinding
Happens throughout the day
It’s only at teatime
These noises repay
The snaps match the crackles
That come from my bones
And allow me some time
To ignore their sharp tones
A sizzle and bubble
Is just the right noise
To cancel the stiffness
That usually destroys
I lay in the bedroom
Rigid and stiff
And he labours over
Another tasty gift
It won’t fix the problem
My aches will proceed
But knowing I’m cared for
Is just what I need
These dinner time sounds
Drown out my strain
As he cooks the sausages
I feel less pain
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Thanks for reading 💜
Creative Steph 