| InterBoard Poetry Competition | |
KAINTUCK HEAVEN
Edward J. O'Brien
(MiPo Zine & Board)
Banded by sawgrass and old, crusty willows,
the secret lies hidden at Jefferson's Pond,
where forged copper kettles spin wonders with sugar,
drip toxic nirvana in old Mason jars.
Stoked by a wood fire of hell-meat proportions,
Jefferson poked it with billows of iron.
At midnight, he tapped it, I took such a sweet sip
it foamed off my eyelids with kids of its own.
Smooth on the fingertips, smooth on the barrel
rolls 'cross your native tongue, tightens your loins
metal on foreskin, it charms like a little
slug on a bottle, inchworming along.
Slathers of catfish still jump from the whirlpool
briskets with whiskers, cold, fresh from the pond
saute in butter and serve with a handful
of pan fried potatoes in parsley and lime.
All night elixir free-flowed from the bottle
and we were transported to regions beyond.
I dreamed of eggplant and lusted elusive
diaphanous maidens from all nearby farms.
Married by morning to Hayden Frock's daughter
a wise-made decision once I weighed the odds
Save me from bacchanal spent in one night of bliss;
save me from Winchester marital bonds.
Judge Christine Reed’s comment: “Crisp images and mouth-watering tastes provide a festival for the senses in this poem. The tight and evocative lines slip from your tongue in a smooth, musical drawl.”
About the InterBoard Poetry Competition
Archive of IBPC Winners
2nd Place Winner, September 2002
