Cut-offs
by Gary Hardaway
Culinary Arts
Need, fear, and appetite-
Madison Avenue
and the faux Fox News
have learned reduction.
The sauce is you.
Knowledge can diminish, too.
Malady
No Sine or Cosine curve-
it's all electro-cardiogram,
the flat, depressive line
spiked by manic heart-blips
beating on, iambic,
into long, recorded night.
In Memoriam
A life lived
in long bitterness
ends.
A sweet silence
then a sudden thirst
for something sharp,
acerbic,
leads to gin
and quinine,
a lot of gin
and quinine.
I like these, Gary.
They are seeds taking root, growing in my mind.*
...a lot of gin and quinine. Yes, I agree.*
I like these best of all I've read of your work, for what that's worth. Faving.
Very nice. Evocative.
Perfect title for three good poems. "Culinary Arts" my fave.
*
Nice pieces. i like the forms here.
Short, sharp bites at life and what resembles life. Nice!
*
Thank you, Matt, J. Mykell, JP, Carol, Sally, Bill, Sam and Susan for reading and enjoying these. I am grateful for the generosity of your response.
LOVE this, Gary!! DAMN! You get right to the CORE!!! Exceptional! ****
Thanks, Meg. A short little span of attention can sometimes be a gift.
Damn good writing Gary. Three pieces to respond to that resonate with me in different ways. The reduction metaphor sparkles and shines. The EKG image makes me paranoid.(but that's OK - the piece has done its job) And In Memoriam - sad - poignant - and hammered home by the final lines and images like a railroad spike. *
Thank you very much, Michael.