Three bananas
well past their prime
greeted me from the kitchen counter.
Valiantly holding their form,
the trio attempted to hide
deep bruises,
as if any of us can halt aging.
Reaching for the Martha Stewart Cookbook —
nestled next to old friends Ina Garten,
Julia Child, Christopher Kimball, Alice Waters —
I flipped to the best banana bread recipe in town.
Over the years,
I have sampled dozens of recipes.
But,
none match
the moist, aromatic loaf
currently rising in the warm oven.
Soon,
my family will awake,
burst into the kitchen
and beeline for the treat
resting on the cooling rack.
Next time,
can you make a couple loaves?
Next time,
can we take a loaf to work?
Next time,
we should let six bananas linger —
all the more bounty for us.
A Reading Life 
You are inspiring me to do something with the brown bananas on my counter.
LikeLike
Mmm, mmm, mmm! Your poem evokes a nostalgia for weekends from my childhood when my mom would make her chocolate chip banana bread from scratch. She, too, recognized the intense flavor and moist texture those bruised and mushy bananas offered.
Best enjoyed warm with a cup of coffee on a rainy day!
LikeLike
Love this! I was just thinking of making a loaf yesterday. Recently, I emailed a teacher I hadn’t spoken to in years. I asked if she remembered me, and her reply was, yes! I still use your banana bread recipe! lol.
LikeLike
I want to be at your house this morning. I think I have bananas in the freezer. Thanks the for reminder to make bread. Love your poem!
LikeLike
I am now craving banana bread. I have a few bananas in the freezer just waiting for an opportunity.
LikeLike
Yum! I bookmarked the recipe. Thanks for the inspiration. I’m afraid I’m just not doing much great cooking or baking even though I’m not super busy. I do make orange cranberry muffins for family gatherings. The dialogue at the end really works.
LikeLike
I think we all have our go-to banana bread recipes that we consider the best! I recently found a paleo banana bread that was quite good as far as these things go…. “Valiantly” is such a lovely word choice for those bananas turning brown on the counter.
LikeLike