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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.
Scharlie, for me, this is a perfect poem to wake up to as my wife and I are eating at I-Hop this morning, one of our favorite pancakie-places, and what a fun & unique concept to Sonnetize. Very well penned – 🙂
What a fascinating ode to pancakes! I can only imagine what pancake inspired you to write this enjoyable delectable treat of a poem.
I feel hungry.
A very enjoyable read.
That was such fun, Scharlie. A Shakespearean sonnet, reminiscent of the bard himself, in honour of a more modern love.
Although not American (in the UK pancakes are usually bland affairs traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday – Pancake Day), your poem is mouth-wateringly captivating.
Great job.
What a sexy poem about a pancake – I can see Nigella, that voluptuous domestic goddess, rise before me with her latest gastro love interest doing “A sultry shimmy o’er the sizzling pan” (a sibilant scorcher of a line) – Scharlie, you have given me big ideas for Sunday breakfast with your seductive sonnet. Thank you!
You, Scharlie, are a crazy woman, and I love you for it. I only wish you had included lingonberries.