No one else he knew did this
he took an odd cake of bacon grease
from the refrigerator -- ethnic foodstuff -- and
dashed it onto a hot cast iron skillet with a spatula
dashed it onto a hot cast iron skillet with a spatula
it ran
on glycerine slippers
its edges boiling and bubbling
a
spastic spatter ascending
and threw sliced onion slivered garlic and whole cold fresh green beans atop
it
it screamed
the Howl the Crime
a
murder of slender green crows rising
shedding their grasp on low slung electrical lines and cotton
clotheslines
pins popping and sprung
clothes freed
descending
shoulders no longer held and arms
to freewheel in crazed windmills if they wished
pantlegs jerked
kicked in the dirt
and Sundays
Best went to their knees or their backs in the grass looking up into the
blue
sky
haloed by
the white sun
socks damp
mismatched
one
of them running away leaving the other
guilty to hold the bag take the Fall
suffer
the Ire
that
they effectively turned onto whomever went out and had to pick
the laundry up off
the ground
the
Wind the Wind the Suspect
if they could get a word out
before the lash fell
the belt
quicker
than an explanation in those Days
those impatient hot Days of
humid Summers and lightning bugs and mosquitoes bats
then bristling relief
the Fall winds
chasing the bitch of
Summer into the lake where she drowned
and popped up
and floated on her back
until
the next year revived her
thin pork sirloin chops browned
in a skillet beside the beans
on colored enamelware
plates already lay chilled sliced pickled beets in runoff of their
happy humor
shaking her head she suppressed
a laugh
she had another sip from her bottle of beer then sipped whisky from a shotglass
--
I really didnt believe you
-- Believe me what
-- When you said you cooked with bacon grease
-- Why would you doubt that
-- Who do you know cooks with bacon grease
-- Me
-- It cant be healthy
-- A lot of things arent healthy for us but we
do them anyways
-- Nobodys gonna believe me when I talk about
this meal
he turned the beans with
tongs ground some fresh peppercorns over
them and turned
them again
-- Were almost ready
when he found his Sundays Best
laying on the ground
he had the escaping sock begrudgingly take them with it
he made it worth its while
-- Lose em in the trainyard for all I care I just dont want em showin up here again
the sock was good to its
word
now as he learned
if only everything was as good to its word as a sock getting lost
the lashing whether he wanted to admitted it or not
and he didnt
was
worth every damn stroke
he pulled her chair out for her
as they sat to eat
she smelled real good real good
he told her so
-- You smell like sunshine and fresh air
she laughed
-- I might have figured youd pick up on it I line-dry my clothes
-- Ah I
suppose right now I should cry author! author!
but he or she is anonymous
So Ill
simply thank you instead Thank you
-- Youre welcome
-- Im hungry
Lets eat
into the meal a bit she
looked up at him and wiped some grease from the corner of her
mouth with a
quick jab of her wrist
-- I had reservations But this is delicious
she fingered a couple of beans off her plate slipped them onto her tongue and sucked them
into her mouth
Thank you she said as she chewed and licked the tips of her fingers
-- Youre welcome Though honestly I suppose you might rather
wanna thank all the pigs
that made this possible tonight
she took up her shotglass
-- A toast Thank you piggies
-- Yes
Ill drink to that Thank you
piggies To you and all who prefer the
dirt fresh air and sunshine
1738, Day-Between-Two-Ts, 23 7.
14
2336, Day-Between-Two-Ts, 26 7.
14
