The sad life of the shared scone 
 
It sits, lumpen like, on two plates,
severed from its non-identical twin.
A bun in the same oven, torn apart.
 
Everyone wants the top half with its slightly
crisp layer above cumulus dough.
No one on ‘Bake Off’ tests the bottom.
 
It’s a desecration commited by those without
their own teeth, or on a budget tighter
than an overproofed crumb.
 
You could cut between the middle top,
a knife attack through the crown chakra,
but that’s the wrong way to break bread,
this way, expect more sadness.
 

Cumbria native Terri Metcalfe began submitting to journals in March 2022 and has been published in places such as Abridged, Green Ink Poetry, Skylight 47 and Black Bough. She has appeared on the Eat the Storms poetry podcast twice and was invited as a featured reader for the 20th anniversary of Over The Edge Literary Events. Terri now lives in Mayo and is currently working on her debut collection.