Tuesday 4 October 2016

The Art of Raising Yeast

I read a beautiful poem in the Irish Times Supplement- The Art of Making Macarons  by Deirdre Daly and it triggered the following poem for me.



The Art of Raising Yeast

Crumble fresh yeast
between thumb and forefinger
Add blood warm water
and a sprinkle of sugar
Cover with bone dry cloth
And wait


Go feed the chickens
Or plant bulbs for spring
Or take the dog for a walk
And watch the tree-top fringed sky
Suffused in its waking blush
That lightens to pink and then coral
Then gathers itself into a tight ball
Intense as a fire-coal, transfiguring
Chimney pots into Disney turrets
Lighting up a sun-bricked path
Through woods where you crunch
Fallen husks underfoot
Cup and stroke cool hard chestnuts
Surprise a squabbling crow
Beneath the Scots Pine
Then emerge from the woods
And scatter grazing gulls
That let fall white feathers as they rise
Brush these across your palm
And feel their oiled nylon tickle

By now the yeast should
Have fermented
And spread like foam
Thrown up by a Spring tide
It may look like freshly whipped cream

Resist - the urge to sample 

Copyright with Cathy Leonard 2016

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