Muttering
Muttering
by Dan Elman
She chisels off a hotdog
with a butter knife—
speech frozen lacks sound
yet makes the same dull thud.
I imagine she is explaining
how chicken and pork meld
into a gelatinous afternoon,
whether her lips are my lips
where sound comes from,
the crook of our noses
a German kind of Welsh.
As they balloon in the boiling
they become infant fingers
clutching the bloused water.
As I ask her to hand me the honey-
mustard I do not remind her
I prefer them fried.
She does not look at me
as she grabs the French’s golden,
says, “I’m beyond that sweet stuff,”
throws it on a bun—
“Voila!”
-refers to the words “my mother” in Addy Robinson McCulloch’s poem Sheets.
3 Responses “Muttering” →
Jeanette Gallagher
February 25, 2011
I like the poem – I suspect I’ve fixed a few hot dogs in the same manner for my sons when I was in a hurry or had my mind on something I thought more important.
Debbie
February 25, 2011
I loved “gelatinous afternoon”! Thanks Dan, for sharing Muttering with us!
sarahj
January 21, 2012
I liked “gelatinous afternoon,” too. “Mutter” in German is “mother,” so indeed a good title for this poem, too.