voice | poetry
Measured
by Shannon Laws
The one cup of measure
mountained with flour
mother pulls a butter knife
from the silverware drawer
taps it on the edge of the
kitchen counter two times
Pushing the jagged peak away
onto the counter covered in wax paper
she scrapes the knife’s flat back
across the cup rim evenly
revealing a smooth, flat plain as she goes
An exact one cup of flour.
Leveled.
Shannon Laws is an award-winning poet, performer, and advocate for the arts. She has been recognized with two Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award — Community Champion. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has captivated audiences at esteemed literary events, including the Jack McCarthy Evergreen Invitational Slam, SpeakEasy, Poetry Night, Kitchen Sessions, and the West Coast Tagore Festival. Beyond her writing and performances, Shannon actively fosters literary and artistic communities. Since 2022, she has curated Corridor, a monthly “found-art” zine project that showcases the work of more than 50 contributing poets and artists. She is also the founder and host of Poetry Club, an engaging discussion group established in 2015. View more posts
shannon p. laws