Why Do We Set the Table?
At what temperature does blood
begin to boil? Thicken into a
roux, slip between bits of
basil, minced garlic,
orecchiette;
Permeate chunks of spicy kielbasa,
bind a dash of salt, pepper, bubbles
roiling forth, then dissipating,
heat lowered to a hush;
Congeal from the shock of cool
clay dishes as a small mound
is delicately plated with a
large plastic spoon;
Spurt steam, burning both
nostrils, as we lean in to say
grace, my father’s seat empty,
placemat bare.
begin to boil? Thicken into a
roux, slip between bits of
basil, minced garlic,
orecchiette;
Permeate chunks of spicy kielbasa,
bind a dash of salt, pepper, bubbles
roiling forth, then dissipating,
heat lowered to a hush;
Congeal from the shock of cool
clay dishes as a small mound
is delicately plated with a
large plastic spoon;
Spurt steam, burning both
nostrils, as we lean in to say
grace, my father’s seat empty,
placemat bare.
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Disclaimer
We do not accept unsolicited submissions. American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2022 by NaBeela Washington, “Why Do We Set the Table?” from crazyhorse, Number 101, Spring 2022. Introduction copyright © 2024 by The Poetry Foundation.