Corn

parasitic 

poached goats

are not for 

petting zoos

but that has never 

stopped them

before

and of course

there’s cream

in a little hollow

place tucked 

so very deep 

inside them

(almost like custard I’d wager)

 

they know 

all about

the lobster

and how she

prefers 

to lay her 

eggs in a 

tight cluster 

all grape-like 

on the

underside of the

algal frond 

 

where I dream

that we too 

might someday 

find cool shelter 

from the plastic bits

that rain down from 

the tortured sky 

the 3-D printers

that spit

out pink toes

and little 

baby corn

holders

Reviews

[Eilis]

I like how your poems are informed by your love of biology. Well, your interest in the living things of the world. All manner of them that make life as it is possible. I saw something recently about the plastics floating around in the human body and how they’ve been found to settle in the brain. It amazes me sometimes how adaptable life is and the biological drive for survival. We are surrounded by hazards but as a whole we keep going even with them invading our minds and bodies.

There’s something here of the interdependence that is integral to survival in general. Parasitic relationships are fascinating. They can seem so sinister but nature is not inherently evil. Or good for that matter. I finished this thinking of how we create parasitic mimickers. And how often it is known things are harmful but that is not taken into account if the benefits to some outweigh the detriments to many. What is the definition of evil. I’m not sure.

I feel like I’ve missed the point of your poem entirely but stumbled on some other train of thought contained in the words. Sorry for the ramble. The lobster section of the poem and the sort of surreal feeling your poems often have reminded me of a film called The Lobster. A world where people get to choose an animal to be turned into if they cannot find a suitable partner. Not really like your poem but something about this brought it to mind for me. Thought-provoking work as ever

[SkinlessFrank]

Thanks Ellis. I always live reading your reviews. They take me to new places in understanding why I bother to write. You are one of a kind....in the best meaning of the phrase.

[Eilis]

Thank you, and you’re welcome

[AYVID N]

I stopped eating meat some time back so this hurt a bit, about those goats. The second para just blew me away with the imagery, very special and such an intimate view of an almost inaccessible part of nature. It would be sad if we were compelled to seek shelter in such reserved places and invite the contempt of the sensible, sea creatures. Another most delightful poem to read and think about.

[h d e rushin]

excellent metaphor. If I soak corn in water it becomes something totally different. Hominy then becomes the argument for why anything is ground down; Like love or it's aftermath, expectation. But you turned this from a study in ecology to a love poem the same way a drummer in a jazz combo turns a standard into the blues. That mystical dream homophony at the end only means that our human reasonings are always opposed to our inward fear(s) of long term commitment. My daughter use to play this game where the sky was upside down.... There's never any coming back from that. great poem....dana

[Ruth]

Breathtaking metaphor used here and the visuals are so powerful...there seems no shelter left anymore, nowhere to hide and ignore the world's demise...superb poetry :)

[SkinlessFrank]

Thanks Ruth.....well we can still find those deep ravines clothed in groves of tall hemlocks and if we look close enough, a chanterelle or two.

[Crowley]

Wow...this one had a very visceral feel to it and was chokes with oddest assortment of textures and visuals. The goat custard grossed me out a bit, my parents raised goats for a while and I learned to hate everything goat except for the little ones that climb all over everything. The last stanza is a nice thought, though I could use some of those baby corn holders. Loved this!

[Beccy]

It's been a long time since shelter was put on the menu. We haven't even decided on the starter's yet, so not much chance of dessert, (just or otherwise,) is there. :))

Nice to dream though.

Beccy.