eating this

« My Trees have Grown Hair: The Poetry of Autism

eating this

19 October 2013 by neil reid

eating this

here, describe this meal.  burning
bread and crying cheese.  just like poems
are not about rounding words, but rather
fingering spoons.  hand to mouth and it’s
the motion that counts.  your hand inside
mine at the eating tabletop.  tell me how
it is your little finger moves, pull that string
to the beginning end.  tell me where the
nurture is.  cooking, we begin.  hunger
don’t mean what goes in mouth.

please or no, another dawn.  whether
or no, you think your hands assemble
a prayer, you do.  one cat whose nose
made home in my scent, dirty shirts
waiting turns on the closet floor.  did
she recall that first open door not lost?
and fed me wanting for months and
days.  here, here’s a mouth.

neil reid © october 2013

written for We Write Poems prompt Food, Glorious Food by Pamela

with thanks and credit to Dylan and his mom Liz for that phrase, “crying cheese” (cheese crying). please do read her post about her autistic son and how his experience reveals something new about our regard for language.

Posted in Draft, Poems, Writing Prompts | Tagged crying cheese, hand to mouth, hands, language as food, noses and mouths, nurture, WWP | 5 Comments

5 Responses

on 20 October 2013 at 11:16 am | Reply Pamela

I was struck by the phrase, “burning bread and crying cheese”, Neil. I love the whole poem, but the second stanza has a special message for me. Especially,

“you think your hands assemble
a prayer, you do”

Wonderful write and I enjoyed it very much. Happy Sunday to you. My apologies for the late visit at wwp, but life is crazy busy right now.

Pamela
- on 20 October 2013 at 11:51 pm | Reply neil reid
  
  thank you Pamela. the poem was an unexpected result of a couple nudges in that direction, including you, doing prompts. I much appreciate your participation (maybe I respond more to people than the literal prompts? – whatever that means… )
  
  and no problem about “being late”. none. I might just match for for being busy too – in process of moving where I call home!
  
  thanks for everything.
on 20 October 2013 at 4:30 pm | Reply Irene

You’ve managed to put whimsy into a food prompt. That’s a wonderful piece of whimsy! I like the line that Pamela pulled out as well.
- on 21 October 2013 at 12:05 am | Reply neil reid
  
  interesting Irene. glad you found something that pleased you. my much thanks for your vision!
on 22 October 2013 at 2:11 pm | Reply Debi Swim

just like poems
are not about rounding words, but rather
fingering spoons. hand to mouth and it’s
the motion that counts.
Not sure I understand it but this line really stood out to me. Interesting words and phrases put together!