She took out her mixing bowl and spoons. Found the right size baking pan and then lined up all the ingredients. It had been a while since she baked. It was easier to buy ready-made. Plus, with banana bread, you had to wait until they ripened. They weren’t sold ready to use for baking. She grabbed the eggs and butter. Looked for some walnuts. Looked out the window at the birds eating at the birdfeeder. Maybe she could give the loaf away. Or feed it to the birds. She wasn’t in the mood to bake but the bananas were ripe.
A recent MFA in Creative Writing graduate, Barbara Matteau is working on a collection of short stories that feature Salem, Massachusetts. “Banana Bread” is the Editor’s Pick for our RIPE contest, part of our 2026 Micromemoir Marathon.