Art of Cooking

By lenchenelf

Sun, 29 Mar 2009

3007 reads

7 comments

Whetstone ground, rasped, in smooth small circles;
You taught us how to hone a sliver of hate to a glint.

Slip point 'twixt gristle and bone as hens' bane;
Soft pressure bares pearlescent sheathed flesh.

We, Tulps' kitchen pupils, table pressed, crane
A view, then You, twist, pull, grey sinews stretched

As silly-string; a nick, amputate at the spur, free.
Now claw and squabble for the prize; ochre scaled

Capons foot, marionette plaything; spoils
For patient attention at the anatomy class.

Certificate PG

Poem

Steel and Stones May Break My Bones

Autobiography

Comments

I've come back to this as

Permalink Submitted by Dynamaso on Sun, 2009-03-29 11:48

I've come back to this as there is something about some of the imagery. It evokes both beauty and ugliness at the same time. An intriguing piece...

Thanks D :-) As children, we

Permalink Submitted by lenchenelf on Sun, 2009-03-29 11:57

Thanks D :-) As children, we didn't have the same distance or preconceptions of our food as the supermarket generation :-) atb L. nb: the herb, Hen Bane, is extremely toxic...avoid!

Yes, I can remember helping

Permalink Submitted by Dynamaso on Mon, 2009-03-30 00:04

Yes, I can remember helping my mum pluck and dress chickens a number of times. Putting one that close to the source builds a healthy respect for it as well, I believe. I've heard of Hen Bane but wasn't aware it was toxic. Thanks for the heads up. :)

As Dynamaso rightly says,

Permalink Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on Sun, 2009-03-29 16:57

As Dynamaso rightly says, this is an extremely interesting poem, that does evoke mixed emotions. I much admire your choice of vocabulary. You have some lovely 'sounds' in there. A well written piece that I shall come back to from time to time. Tina

Thanks Tina, very much

Permalink Submitted by lenchenelf on Mon, 2009-03-30 00:24

Thanks Tina, very much appreciated, just experimenting with a few ideas.atb L Hi again D, apparently, a fairly well known UK chef made a bit of boo-boo by recommending its use, swift amendments all round, he meant 'fat hen', it could have been disastrous :-o atb L

Used to gut chickens in a

Permalink Submitted by threeleafshamrock on Mon, 2009-03-30 11:40

Used to gut chickens in a chip shop, in my early teens; never looked at a little red hen in the same way since;) I too was unaware of the toxicity of Hen Bane. Nice, unusual piece. Chris ;)

Thanks Chris :-) atb L

Permalink Submitted by lenchenelf on Mon, 2009-03-30 13:29

Thanks Chris :-) atb L

Art of Cooking

By lenchenelf

Comments

I've come back to this as

Thanks D :-) As children, we

Yes, I can remember helping

As Dynamaso rightly says,

Thanks Tina, very much

Used to gut chickens in a

Thanks Chris :-) atb L

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