skin, trim, and clean
an erasure from Bountiful Blessings: The Munford Presbyterian Church Cookbook (Munford, Tennessee, 1993)
knife
is an appropriate name
for mother,
a warning
passed from person to person,
a trouble
roasting,
leaving bone attached.
wait.
we have never waited.
rise.
we have not risen.
no
no
we can’t seem to make it past
one hour.
we cut ourselves
into desired shapes,
a much richer flavor
when left to harden,
a mystery
that could have been preserved
by choice.
is it
worth it
if you are
beloved?
your family needs
everything.
your children
want
gratitude if you have it,
survival if you don’t.
the work of
your hands is
the price of your devil:
you know
it is
burning
when water dances on it.