NEEDLING

1

Started out with some onions and some garlic
chopping slicing and crushing.

Left them in a ceramic bowl
to think about the situation
while me and the three leeks
got into a cleaning frenzy
a sort of vegetable loving
spree
with a knife and some water.

Sliced them lengths ways
so as to get that cold water in there
and wash that mud away.

Chopped them up grossly
so they’d fill a large wooden bowl.

Melted my onions in olive oil
and some vegetable stock to help me along
the melting process
before asking the Scotch whisky
for some much needed help.

2

Continued with the caramelized bulbs
and the chopped leeks
topped off with enough vegetable stock
to cover them safely
from harm
and any unfair airborne attacks.

Left them there
boiling frenetically
for peace
and understanding
and a cross to bear
and a savior to die
in their place
having me a proper English pint
filled with German beer
in an American kitchen
lived in by a Frenchman
saying to myself
hey you
leeks
boil away and soften up gently
like damsels
walking down the street waving at me
and blowing sweet hellos
my way
and turning red in the face.

(day-dreaming...)

3

Following through
I chopped the scrubbed potatoes
and filled in the pot
with them roots
and the rest of the stock
to fill up the pot
and bring to one last rolling boil
one last hopeful scream of glory
one last war cry down the muddy hill
one last prayer for the dead souls
one last potato fallen for the good soup
fallen for the good of the whole
fallen for the whole of the soup
fallen for the soup of my house
fallen for my house full of good
and I lowered the fire
to barely a small blinking flame
basking my soup
into a creamy winter night’s meal.

4

Moved on to Count Belisarius
by Robert Graves
where I read about a boy
who would become a general
in the Roman army.