‘To a Most Tempting Pancake’: A Poem by Scharlie Meeuws

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To a Most Tempting Pancake

“Quae mollis est, amanda est.” (What is soft, is to be loved)
—Libri Matutini (Book of Breakfasts)

O golden disc, with cinnamon imbued,
Thou float’st in butter, warm and debonair.
Thy milky mix, with gentle hand subdued,
Becomes a silken blend beyond compare.

Thine edges glint, thy body softly shakes,
A sultry shimmy o’er the sizzling pan.
With heat thou risest, till thy centre quakes,
And passion bubbles up, as passions can.

Unstirred, thou earn’st a bronzèd, blushing hue,
Then flipped with care – perhaps a second spin—
Face-up, thou smil’st, unbothered, warm within,
Prepared for cream to melt upon thy skin.

O treat divine, with jam thy form adorned,
In every bite, thy lusciousness is mourned.

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Scharlie Meeuws, a poet born in Germany, began writing at a young age. She studied in Spain and France, writing poems in Spanish and French before settling in England, where she co-owns Thorntons Bookshop, the oldest in Oxford. Scharlie’s poetry has been featured in magazines and anthologies, including the Guardian. Her work was recognized by Nobel Prize winner Vicente Aleixandre. Her most recent book is The Emotional Robot and Other Poems. Her poetry book Outbranching was published by Cerasus, London in 2021 and is available on Amazon.