Eating Goat

neuropsychological analyses

my brain twisted
and stretched
to the point of pain
poking and prodding
with your psychometer
and your dsm --
lunch hour contemplation,
as I dine on mystery meat
in a city far from home --
hard not to be paranoid
when every part of
this examination
scrutinizes my synapses
-- incredulous was she
that I can pronounce
synecdoche
without a stutter,
yet I can't recall a
simple strand of random
numbers just recited --
I see her lips moving
but I drown in the
colours of ink in words
leaving me
jumbled and confused
but I know that Ocelot
is a cat and an Orb Weaver
lives in my front garden.
both experts said
they never saw someone
score so high on vocabulary --
so what?
I forget I had an appointment
5 minutes after I look.
I have a hard time believing
my brain is shaken
but the evidence
is as plain as the fact
that the stringy
beef I am eating
is really goat.

Author's Note

post concussion syndrome aftermath.

Reviews

[V]

Another interesting one, your use of words here really adds to the topic, effective and written in an entertaining storytelling way.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. I wrote it after 4 hours of a neuropsyche examination, while eating at an Indian buffet. Oops, I thought that beef tasted funny.:) xo

[V]

Haha ok. Thanks for the little explanation. Well, I'm vegetarian, so no funny tasting meat for me...

[Lyn Anderson]

I was a vegetarian for 21 years -- I became one of the stats of people who go back to eating meat. Still, I could have done without the goat.:)

[V]

Oh wow I could never imagine going back to eating meat again. Yeah, I can imagine. ^^

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

I sometimes think we would try more things if we didn't know what they were made of... perception can keep us from enjoying new things.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks, and yes, that is very true.

[samarahmed]

i loved the words you used, the attitude of the poem and how it was full of descriptions. great poem!

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. I don't tend to lack descriptors in my writing. And even if you think I am being opaque, I am not.:)

[barleygirl]

Your overall message is a little "out there" for me, but your word crafting is very delicious thru-out. Love the opening alliteration & your description of how a brain tweak can feel:
"my brain twisted
and stretched
to the point of pain
poking and prodding"

And again, I love the words you've selected, the way they go together, how they sound together, which is even more fun than the point you're making (which is clear & understandable, too):
"this examination
scrutinizes my synapses
-- incredulous was she
that I can pronounce
synecdoche
without a stutter,
yet I can't recall a
simple strand of random
numbers just recited"

I certainly understand this paradox of being mentally sharp about some things, but oh-so-dull about others! The stringy goat just serves to exemplify how far off our perceptions can sometimes be!

[Lyn Anderson]

It is interesting that this poem comes off that way. It is a very literal poem, as it chronicles my experience at a neuropsychologist -- yet, I guess the subject is a little weird, so that explains it.

[Coyote Poetry]

I liked the poem dear friend. I had to read a few times. Title brought me to and the words took me in. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you. It's not metaphorical at all, if that helps to explain.

[Coyote Poetry]

You are welcome.

[Papaya]

Ouch. Concussions are scary...
Hope you're ok.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you, for stopping in. It's been nearly 6 months. Generally speaking, most symptoms resolve in a year, or so I am told.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

did i just read this poem, or did i not read it yet?
and that chicken i just grilled for dinner...might have been possum, or goat...
or maybe i am just a goat.

sometimes i feel respected and loved in general, and at other times i wonder if everyone just laughs
behind my back...and they all just tolerate me...

that curse of the goat...mentally and emotionally.

mmmm

j.

[Lyn Anderson]

It is a bit surreal, having your brain picked. Thank you.

[Lydia Shutter]

Why do we remember some things 30 years after they happen and others seem to be hiding behind a roadblock in our brains? Doctors have spent years analyzing it....and so it shall ever be. Yes, vocabulary means a lot to me and the lyrics of songs too. I can remember them verbatim. However, ask me to remember the name of an actor in a movie or TV show and I will give you a blank look. Did I eat dinner yet? Hmmm....tasted like chicken, but now I think it might have been goat. This one is way out there, KL, but I liked it...as I do all your writes. Lydi**

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. Just part of the post accident journey - getting your brain picked by experts certainly has me questioning my thought patterns. :)

[Lydia Shutter]

I didn't know you had been in an accident. I am sorry to read this. Hope you were not hurt too badly.

[Lyn Anderson]

It's back in my poems from January, yes, rear ended at high speed. Broken hand, not healed, and post concussion still healing. The up side is it brought me back here. Exercise my brain and excorcise my demons. With surgery and therapy I hope for a mostly full recovery.

[Lydia Shutter]

How horrible. Either I did not read it or I had forgotten. Sorry. Thank goodness you are recovering. I am glad you are back on WC!

[Lyn Anderson]

I don't think you did. I had a few on pain and the accident, but the one that kind of explains it is Hey Kev. Although some people took it metaphorically, which is probably why some people missed it as well.

[redzone]

hmmm eating your brain again KL??? or is it just deja vu all over again??? I do think though a broken arm heals faster than a concussion and for some reason that black and blue spot on your brain never seems to remember again... it becomes the "lost sock" of consciousness, the twilight zone of never never land... So Wendy, have you misplaced those lost boys again??? by the way Peter says HI..

Blame it on my parents KL, they dropped me on my head way too often when I was young... now what was this poem about?? oh right brains and eating goats... and KL, don't worry about the dates, cause you got the vocabulary down pat... and organized into a concussed poem.. (yes that is a good thing... I think..) ;0)

redzone

[Lyn Anderson]

Yeah sure easy for you to say.

[redzone]

Thats cause I've had more practice than you KL... ;0)

[Einstein Noodle]

your poem raises some of my scary things... like whenever i go up or downstairs; and bewilderingly say to self "what did i come down (or up) here for :) ... i know this happens to everyone ..even those young and vital ... but at my delightful age ;) missteps and forgetfulness give me that "brain has been eaten" syndrome ... i watched on as my mom drifted into Alzheimer's ... actually was a blessing when she lost the realization that something was wrong ..and a huge blessing that she remained as sweet and happy as she ever was ... wow! i do miss her :} nice poem my friend ... i have heard that fish is good brain food ;)
E.

[Lyn Anderson]

Hey thanks. I was sure I commented on this review. Given the subject matter, that's a little coincidental... :)

[Einstein Noodle]

ahahaha! thanks for my chuckling right now ;) bouncing me heart in a good direction :)