Tuesday 12 March 2013

Newspaper cones of nuts







The stars a sprinkling of pale pepper
on the black salt of the sky
the moon’s a sliver of pungent onion
and hardly a tear in any eye
let’s sit here and share newspaper
cones of nuts and watch that guy
string hollowed out bones into a skeleton
that can barely breathe or die.


The earth is round like a roll at supper
and a crusted fruit plate pie
the sun’s a bun in gold and crimson
done to a turn when it gets high
let’s sit here all cosy and super
share the air, just you and I
they’ll be coming, that’s for certain
and we’ll join them by and by.


You can take the side of a pauper
but not all rich men can sprout a lie
the salt of the earth gets no cinnamon
and bread crumbles when it’s too dry
the stars are kernels for the popper
and moon’s butter to a gluttonous eye
or it could be a sliver of onion
rotting in the heart of a skeletal sigh.


Suns and moons, buns and dippers
change nothing, all rules apply
large ships sailing the high oceans
mean nil to small merchants, and fry;
eat the peanuts, dig no deeper
can’t get closer so don’t even try
and shred the paper, don’t smooth open
otherwise the headlines make you cry.




Shared for OLN @ dVerse








25 comments:

  1. This is wonderful! Flawless in its reading..perfectly paced...and I think there's no better role for one of today's mainstream newspapers to play...unless we talk birdcages :)

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    1. That's an idea about birdcages! :) thank you..

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  2. The earth is round like a roll at supper
    and a crusted fruit plate pie...ha cool...love your imagery here

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  3. Wow, that is a sad world you picture. I am happy I am not God having to take that meal. But I believe the world is not dead meat to God. And I believe God is very discriminating when it comes to feed.

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  4. wow...really cool write...the eating of the nuts watching the guy build a skeleton...the third stanza...dang....i like, it is tight and forces us to think....

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  5. So rich in similes and metaphors...but now I'm hungry!

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    1. a bit of nostalgia drove the poem...so many memories built around food :) thank you for reading

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  6. Terrific...you have 'nailed' the subject! So much to think about here.

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  7. I love the earth being round like a roll at supper, love it :)

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  8. This life sure make sone hungry!

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  9. I specially like the food images weaving in your words...pepper, onion, salt, pie ~

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  10. Great descriptive lines here..I especially like the flow and the "pauper" line and "no rich man can sprout a lie" and the 'salt of the earth gets no cinnamon' ;)

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    1. The salt of the earth makes do with salt alone, no frills. Thank you for your comments.

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  11. Nice to escape, but sooner or later we have to tackle it head on...

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  12. Ha! "newspaper cones of nuts" -- I wonder if other Westerners got this -- ah, memories of India. I also had to laugh at the British English;

    For North Americans "cosy" is a cover for tea,
    While "cozy" is how she is with me!

    Fascinating poem -- not sure I got it all, but the sky and food analogies were enticing. The sense I had was that pleasure depends not on money -- just as peanuts in rolled up newspaper can be wonderful!
    [am I close? -- reading through the comments, I can't see if anyone else understood - they offered no clues either]
    [love your reply to Anders, btw]

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    1. I am not sure if everybody knows "black salt" either, but it doesn't really matter. Take your contentment the way you can, whenever you can - is the closest I suppose, if I have to sum up the message of the poem. But once I have it out of my head and put it up here, whoever reads is free to associate images of their own choice with it, I am fine with that. You can say I am not obsessive about the interpretion ;-)

      And cozy? cozy?! that's *wrong* spelling! :D

      Thanks for reading and your detailed feedback, much appreciated!

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    2. My pleasure! And thanx for the humerus comeback!!

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