butter

It was helpful to have someone who had not seen my poem and to give me an honest opinion and to take my hands from the wheel to make sure that it applied to a wider audience. I had been looking at it in a humorous sense rather than wanting to stretch the depth that the poem could reach. There have been several iterations of this piece, but the last line (now non-existent for clarity) has changed shape the most. It previously read, “This is overwhelming, and you have transformed me into flat, burnt crisps, singed by your desire.” It took away from the simplicity of the piece. Ending with “(for cookies)” opens it up to more interpretation.

you (stove)
are pressed on

and
against me (rest)

hot and burning

and i (butter) am
seeking to be

softened

under your fingertips
but it’s all
too much

i puddle (melt)
completely

beside
you (warmth)

take apart
my hesitation (consistency)

and reduce me
to be used

(for cookies)

Isabelle Houseman is a senior and soon graduate of DePaul University, studying both Public History and Museum Studies. In her free time, she writes both whimsical poetry and fiction. This will be the first publication that her writing is published in, and she would like to write more poetry about baking ingredients in the future. She likes to bake, collect old books, and call her cats Rainbow and Howard when she gets the chance.