Carol Bennett   © 2010 All Rights Reserved

Ghazal of the Sharp Knife

Undeceived, the body knows the gloom of him.
Right hand the usher, left hand the groom of him.

The fragrance of seasonings enfolds the house
but flesh stays attuned to the perfume of him.

Chair, sink and tablecloth compose a kitchen.
Knuckles, grip and thumb make a room of him.

Switchblade and jack, bread, bowie and pocket–
Christian names, too, ease into the loom of him.

Pale is the butter, soft ivory the brie;
yielding knows how terrible the bloom of him.
 

 

Sarah J. Sloat
Copyright © 2010  

Sarah J. Sloat lives in Germany, where she works for a news agency. Her poems have appeared in Juked, Bateau, Court Green and Third Coast, among other publications. Her chapbook, In the Voice of a Minor Saint, was published by Tilt Press in 2009.

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