Friday, August 19, 2011

My First Post

I've been working hard this year on my poetry. I completed two writing boot camps (one in January and another in May) led by Sargent Sarah Freligh and in June Sarah and I attended the 17th Annual Poetry Conference, Exploring Form Narrative, at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.. We took a sonnet class with Kim Addonizio, which was informative and fun. Kim asked us to write a sonnet, and at Kim's suggestion I wrote one (a lie, of course) about how I fractured/lacerated my left baby finger.


Unhinged

I was Venus of the half shell deep in debt,
yet slurping oysters bathed in mignonette.
You'd never catch me eating with a fork.
I learned to tip their sipping lips in Cork.
But Galway's where I found myself som work -
apprentice to the shucker at Ray's Oysters.
With brush and blade but no glove at the raw bar
I unhinged bivalves bought from trusted vendors.
"Be careful," Ray told me , but I ignored his words.
When I slid the knife's tip in the shell, it slipped
and slashed my hand. In blood-soaked ice I collapsed,
unhinged. I'm Venous now. The cooks place bets.
By season's end, how many stitches will I get?

What really happened was I tripped up a sidewalk curb at the corner of Harvard and Dartmouth Streets and landed on my left hand and side. It hurt. A lot. I received 17 sutures and weeks of hand therapy.

If you'd like to read some of my other poems, see "Climate Change" in the recent issue of Lake Affect and "Salvador Dali Goes Fishing in Kansas" in the on-line magazine Mixed Fruit.

Talk to you soon.
Jen