Poetry Kate Ennals

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: KATE ENNALS

Kate Ennals is a prize-winning poet and writer and has published poems and short stories in a range of literary and on-line journals (Crannog, Skylight 47, Honest Ulsterman, Anomaly, The International Lakeview Journal, Boyne Berries, North West Words, The Blue Nib, Dodging the Rain, The Ogham Stone, plus many more). In 2017, she won the Westport Arts Festival Poetry Competition. Her first collection of poetry At The Edge was published in 2015. Her second collection, Threads, was published in April 2018. Her third collection, Elsewhere, will be published by Salmon Poetry next year.

The Lamb

The leg stands pink with pride, steams its juice tender, ribbed, threaded with strips of rosemary, garlic; an abstract of art, roasted snuggled amongst seasoned courgette, tomato.

The kitchen swoons in aromatics, windows mist keeps the world at bay. The leg takes its place of rest centre stage, while She mashes potatoes lays the table: salt, pepper, napkins, flowers

She carves the thinnest slices from the thigh scatters jellied mint across the flesh. calls him to eat. “I’ll be there in a second”. Ten minutes pass. She calls again.

“Coming,” he says, impatient in his voice. The gravy grows a film of grease, congeals. She serves herself a limpid piece of stony lamb, forks cold vegetables into her mouth

goes to bed. “Dinner is on the table,” she says He turns from his computer screen, lips stained red “I said, I’ll be there in a minute,” The lamb died. The lamb is dead.

Kate Ennals