Reading Her Recipe

Her handwriting leans

like she’s still over the counter.

Flour, sugar, cinnamon –

and then,

“Until it feels right.”

The cards are smudged at the edges.

I press my thumb

where hers must have rested.

Nothing else of her remains.

Just these quiet instructions:

stir gently.

wait.

taste.

When the oven warms the kitchen,

it is almost enough.

BIO

Melissa Elder is a poet from New Jersey. When she's not reading or writing poetry, she's trying to capture it through a lens. She has two collections of published poetry, The Mundane and Nostalgia. A third book, In the Quiet, will be released in the Fall of 2026.