Hi Sue,
Loved the opening line and indeed the poem generally.
"Spit out this lump of heart meat" jars a bit, as does "I've gained a bone
of hope and let grief go", but maybe that's the point really, in that their
starkness contrast well with the much gentler voice that underlies it all.
"I lift my glass in gratitude for love once lived while all around the
banquet flows and no one knows" is wonderful, which probably confirms what
I've just said.
A really great read.
Regards,
Matt
-----Original Message-----
From: Sue Scalf [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 05 January 2004 18:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: new: Etiquette
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Etiquette
Grief is a gristle it does no good to chew.
Everything flavorless, tough,
till there is nothing to do
but spit out this lump of heart meat,
this ache in the jaws and breast.
I am no good at this,
and there's been far too much
of what I can't control.
Slow, deliberate, into the serviette.
I've gained a bone of hope and let grief go.
At the end of the feast
there may to be something sweet
and new. I lift my glass
in gratitude for love once lived
while all around the banquet flows
and no one knows.
Sue Scalf
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