179: The Bakery on Shambles Street

beep

Beep.

BEEP.

The alarm calls me up

to pre-dawn night each morning

and as I go to close the window

the smell of sourdough bread carries in

on an autumnal breeze that urges me

to wrap myself in hat and mittens

and walk for half an hour to the bakery

on Shambles Street

to pour over the crusts of freshly baked bread

still steaming

that fill the shop with memories

of turmeric and caraway seeds

and carrot scones with butter and melting cheese

and plain little scones with strawberry jam

next to buns to be had with cheese and ham

and once we made waffles and went down to the tide

to sit on the rocks in the 4 AM light

then slept until noon and the following night

watched Harry Potter until midnight.

But that was long ago and the Shambles

is far away.

I still haven't found the bakery here,

though maybe I will one day.

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Note: The Shambles is an open-air market in York, England, that has existed since the medieval times. Nearby runs a lane, here referred to as Shambles Street, that some suggest may be the best preserved medieval street in the world. Amongst other things, it is said to have inspired the Diagon Alley in Harry Potter.

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Written by: Katrine Hjulstad

Instagram: @katrinehjulstad

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Publisher's note: Please note that all poetry published with Eudaemonia Records has been seen by our editors, and that the editors have suggested revisions where they see fit, but we believe that it is ultimately the writer's decision to accept or reject any suggestions and take no responsibility for which suggestions they accept or reject.