Saturday, January 24, 2015

deeper wisdom: what the knife knows

Illness precluded a Friday post, but a visit to the doctor (combined with 72 hours forced rest) has led to a slight improvement and a Saturday post.  In response to the Ditty of the Month Club challenge hosted by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes and inspired by Joyce Sidman's work in Winter Bees, I offer the following.  Like Liz Steinglass, I opted to explore the wisdom of an everyday object rather than of nature, and I took a little liberty with the form as well.


What Does the Knife Know?

What does the knife know?
    Red tautness of tomato's skin.
        Onion's shallot's garlic's kin.
    Juicy slick of vitamin.   
        Jolt of pit or stone within.

What does the knife know?
    Tender coarseness of the crumb.
        Whack of steel on boarden drum.
    Whorl and loop don't armor thumb.
        Better bleeding cut than numb.

Heidi Mordhorst 2015
all rights reserved

  
I have only just realized that knife goes with spoon.  I guess a fork poem is on its way...and is anyone else having trouble, as they read these deeper wisdom poems, screening out repeated mental blarings of "What does the fox say?"

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad you are feeling well enough to post. Those Kers can really cook up some good germs. I like what you did with the form. I love all your juicy words. The whole thing feels very tactile to me. I even feel it whirling around in my mouth.

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  2. I love what you did with this, Heidi! "Onion's shallot's garlic's kin." is such fun to say!

    Maybe you need a collection of kitchen utensil poems. Fork, spatula, coffee cup. Flour sifter, ladle, garlic press. What fun that could be! Jama would love it, methinks!

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  3. Thank you both! I didn't expect any audience with my late post. Liz, a collaboration collection?

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  4. So funny that you mention "What does the fox say?" That was my students' reaction when I taught this form.

    I am amazed that you could get into the mind of a knife. The places poetry can takes us...

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  5. All these objects you're writing about could for sure be your next collection!

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!