Fish Boil
by Bill Yarrow
It's a cheap way to feed three hundred people.
Hot fire. Metal pot. Peeled potatoes. Raw fish.
Control the temperature with a garden hose.
Burn off the scum with kerosene. Use giant
aluminum colanders. Lift them out with iron rods.
Set up a buffet table. Scatter picnic benches over
the grounds. Truck in some spicy cole slaw.
Provide trays and salt and pepper. If you boil it,
they will come. Those in shorts and socks. Those
in sundresses sans brassieres. Those in cocktail
gowns. The talk will be of bones and sunscreen
and beer and bones. Careful of the bones. You
have to protect the bones. Put sunscreen on your
bones. Death has an appetite for bones.
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Author's Note
A version of this poem appeared in Ramshackle Review 1.
Than you, Mark Reep!
The poem appears in Pointed Sentences (BlazeVOX, 2012).
"Hot fire. Metal pot. Peeled potatoes. Raw fish.
Control the temperature with a garden hose.
Burn off the scum with kerosene. Use giant
aluminum colanders."
Absolutely your voice, Bill. Great piece. Really like your attention to the line. *
At first I thought it was Biblical, and this is set by the tone. I've been to a Door County fish boil thinking nothing so ominous as the underbelly of this beer. Suddenly I remembered the tiny tailored lady's missing nose at Easter Services there. *
This is really good. I like the form, the diction, the repetition of "bones" in the last lines. *
I went to the Boil. Luckily I've avoided the second soire.
Nice one.
Ah, the Egg Harbor Door County Fish Boil. Makes me homesick one more time.
Nice work here, Mr. Yarrow. *
...and sometimes, the way they lodge in the throat, even death's. Like the twisty finish, Bill.*
Strong imagery: resonates, amplifies, and transcends meaning.
fave!
Never been to a fish boil but I like the piece. :O)
If you boil it, they will come? In your dreams. Fav.
Love the ending. *
Nice use of parallel structure at the end. It's also an effective contrast to the very-declarative sentence at the beginning.
so DAMN good,and I love what Sara said about the structure. And what Joani said about the twisty finish, and agreeing with all. fave.
tough and affecting poem,
Bill.
*
Perfectly executed as always. You are the role model, and you never fail to deliver.
The way you started this one, it reminded me of a bible story :) But my thoughts quickly switched over to the present. Great writing, Bill. What a scene - this almost qualifies as a painting! *
Fascinating use of your sharp, lyrical tools, Bill! I always look forward to another Yarrow poem. Any word on your BlazeVox collection?
I feel like I'm reading a story, yet I know it's a poem. I love the use of language in this - it's not a long piece yet it really make an impact. *