A Slow Boil

milk bubbles in a twenty-year old saucepan,
rising to the surface, oozing,

flowing over chipped, patina edges,
dripping along streaked distortion,

once gleamed at first purchase,
in another time with a different lover,

white droplets smoldering,
spark the flames, igniting a burst

too late I reach for the knob
turn down the gas, scolding myself

I’ve been giving, accommodating
giving and accommodating

I’m reaching, too late
I rinse the old saucepan

Pietje Kobus is an MFA student at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. She writes creative non-fiction and poetry, mostly about the long-lasting damage of harmful messages received during childhood. When she is not writing, you can find her in Santa Fe, NM playing with her dogs or taking pictures along a trail.

Instagram: @Pietjewrites
Twitter: @Pietje_Pykje
Website: http://www.pietjekobus.com