nthposition online magazine

Recipe for success & Cruise

by Tara Deal

[ poetry - december 07 ]

Recipe for success

Drag the conch
out of its sweet, slow ocean,
hack it open,

slice into slivers,
then sauté
with plantains,
coconut milk,
red peppers

or fry into fritters,
fritter away
all afternoon, even,

drink a diet
coke in the sun

and remember
to polish the shell
for visitors.

 

Cruise

The drunken boat
is one way to go.

Probably it's not a yacht
but something tender.

Onboard, alone, no doubt,
no need to control
one's temper.

And if a squall rushes over,
spilling hail, splitting lines, cracking the sapphire
weather, all the better
to feel the broken tether.

And if there's drowning to be done, that's fine:
more wine, less sun.