Cantillon Gueuze

Words - Matthew Curtis

So potent are you
That both crown and cork keep you at bay
But I know from experience
That you are a beast that can be tamed.

You tumble like late autumn sunshine
Into a new vessel
I throw off Jackson's horse blanket
And I'm transported back to the farm, my youth.

I wander through cooking apple orchards
Past freshly bundled bails of hay
Insect wings hum in my ears
The air is heavy with the scent of freshly harvested grain.

Crisp, dry, tart
My tongue is twisted, Lemniscate
At first you are a challenge but you are soon overcome
Perfection, tradition, in moments all gone.


Dedicated to my grandma, Dorothy 'Peggy' Curtis 1918 - 2004 who still inspires me to write every day. Today would have been her 95th birthday.