When you come across a great feast-meal, do you feel obligated to share?

Question

BAYOU COUNTRY

by Dr. Glenn Robert Swetman

This poem is a crayfish in my head.

He dances toward my eyes.

His pinchers ready as I precind

the diseased gas pump standing by

the gray stucco-fronted

empty shack beneath the

rusted Esso sign that hangs

askew like a broken arm healed wrong.

Forward across the damp gray

the crayfish skittles now, claws extended

for the unsuspecting image.

His antennae touch a flaw, and—

pop,

he snap-tails back

against my skull’s sloped bank

and sinks again into

my mind’s dark mud.

Answer 1

O for some crawdad pie and filé gumbo!  I'd even go for crayfish tails skewered and broiled.  This verse only speaks of the awkward movement of the crayfish, nipping and retreating into its hole.  Why does the verse give a headache?  What was the deserted gas station, and why did it recall a crayfish? An Intriguing poem.

Answer 2

Somedays I wonder why I attempt to write poetry.  I will never reach these heights. Jealous is what I am, and melancholy.  

Where would an opening line like that come from?

How can a rusted Esso sign, bring forth the analogy

of a 'broken arm healed wrong'

sigh, sigh and even longer sigh.

Will we see this in the 2009 anthology?....I do hope so.

ps - I don't recall ever seeing the word 'precind' before - my attempts to find out its meaning have drawn a blank. Help!

Answer 3

AHA..That's how it's done....This is a great departure from werewolves...Nothing I write is legible by the time I word process it...

Lines Lines

My words are full of Lines

Scratching out the thoughts

I thought were just fine

s***w this don't do that

Scratch it out with lines...

Answer 4

That was delicious, what's for dessert?

Answer 5

thank you for sharing this wonder.

Answer 6

I'd give anything to have crayfish in my head. The screaming cicadas just don't do it for me.

A crayfish for a muse is an interesting idea. The mind as a murky swamp is very close to the temporal bone.

I think the emotive connection to this poet is largely regional. But there is a lot for non-locals to like about his work.

EDIT - Grannyjill - It just tweaked with me - the reverse of Esso (Osse) is a medical term relating to bones. It works here. Very cleverly in fact. I am betting Dr Swetman would be a master at cryptic crosswords.

Answer 7

Thank you for letting us share in your feast.  It is a wonderful treat.

Answer 8

This does take you different places.  Great imagery.

Answer 9

Let the poets learn that humor need not be raucous. You have shown them the meaning of real genius.

I am honored to have seen his poems these past months before actual publication and yes, humbled to have copies where I can touch them again and again.