Nan´s Kitchen

 

The kitchen was small and austere

an old sink with a single tap

for cold water alone

The window was draped in a net curtain

beside the sink an old gas stove

with four burners and an oven

Opposite stood a kitchenette

and little else that served any purpose

Linoleum covered the wooden floor

which was cracked and threadbare

In the corner behind a door was the pantry

with several shelves and packets of food

On the floor a bucket with milk bottles

standing in cold water

Cheese and butter on a marble slab

covered with a gauze canopy

A solitary light bulb with no shade

gave a stark quality to the room

It was functional, mothing more

bare and inhospitable where

I ate bread and dripping sitting on the doorstep

with Yippie Nan´s dog

From the door step to my right

I could see next door neighbour´s air aid shelter

and asked Nan

why she didn´t have one

I´d rather die in bed, she replied