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Making Cocoa For The Poet Laureate

Posted by fatboy74 on November 7, 2011 - 21:49
from the ABC set A Doughnut Sends A Postcard Home

'The warm truculence of thick cocoa always
stirs my reborn memories of plantations;
geckos slipping from shot like liquid memory,
the frayed shadow of whitewashed shutters
cantilevered across the writhing contortions
of the interracial embrace' - she threw back her
head, half-grimaced, half-smirked and then
thrust an empty glass and waited for the heavy fall
of dark rough red to the rim – all the while humming
a tune sweet and low. 'This here though - this playful 'Italy',
this is no place for tepid beverages of english
sensibility,' she grabbed my ear and gestured theatrically
to a muddy belch of water breaking over its
Bakelite bowels - 'that's the fucking Arno after all.'

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Comments

Highhat | November 8, 2011 - 08:45

This is pretty unique FB-quite breathtaking and very powerful, so alive. This is very much a postcard. Loved it...

;)Pia

Overthetop1 | November 8, 2011 - 18:23

Just terrific. So evocative and how it flows!
A very envious fan.

fatboy74 | November 9, 2011 - 09:23

Pia and Ott you are both more than kind with your feedback and thank you lovely cherry pixies. :-)

h jenkins | November 9, 2011 - 11:41

Y'know, I'm not at all sure what's going on here - some of it feels just out of reach, if you know what I mean.
I do love the choice of words though - I can just imagine the woman, slightly pissed and a bit aggressive.
I dunno, is it a poem to Duffy?

Helvigo Jenkins

fatboy74 | November 9, 2011 - 11:52

You're about there Helvigo, I usually write these when I can't think of anything to write about but i need to write - I try to capture a bit of the voice of the poet from what I know of their poetr, but the setting (apart from this one) - I've spent a week with Duffy in Florence on a school trip - is fantasy and I stole the cocoa idea from Wendy Cope. Thanks for reading. :-)

ScoZen | November 9, 2011 - 16:58

Hello there fb.
I'm so glad to see cocoa back in the picture.

Florence with Carol Ann Duffy...you lucky *******!

fatboy74 | November 9, 2011 - 18:04

Yes thanks to you scozen you reminded me - she's not everyones cup of cocoa but I liked her and hearing her read her own stuff all the time in those surroundings was really good. Cheers :-)

skinner_jennifer | November 10, 2011 - 10:51

Hi FB,

This was a delicious read, with a wonderful array of
descriptive words, drawing the reader in.

Jenny.

fatboy74 | November 14, 2011 - 14:49

Sorry Jenny - missed your lovely comment, thanks as always. :-)