friday feast: talk almost dirty to me, diane lockward!

I must say it again: no other contemporary poet can touch Diane Lockward when it comes to food poems.

Sassy and sensual, this witty, playful temptress handles words like a master chef might gently caress juicy, blushing peaches right before setting them aflame with heartbreak and humor. I know when I read one of Diane’s poems my senses will be fully engaged and I’ll be surprised at where she takes me, inevitably enlightened by the emotional tune-up. She’s accessible, instinctual, and fearless! Whoever coined the phrase, “a feast of words,” must have had Diane in mind. She seems to perform her “high-wire acts of language and imagination” with the greatest of ease, titillating the reader without a safety net.

Recently, Diane released a new e-chapbook called Twelve for the Record, which contains 12 of her most requested poems, four from each of her print collections (Eve’s Red Dress, What Feeds Us, Temptation by Water). I purchased Twelve for the Record as soon as it was available, even though I already own all her other books. You just never know when you’ll get a sudden craving for an exquisitely crafted poem that gleams and glistens; it’s nice having a few choice nuggets in your back pocket.

Today I’m happy to share one of the poems from Twelve for the Record which was also included in What Feeds Us (Wind Publications, 2006). You must read it aloud! While not primarily about food, you’ll still want to eat every word. It’s interesting how we crave the naughty connotation, secretly relishing the opportunity to get away with a little harmless mischief. I am reminded of how powerful words are, how truly delicious the English language is. Take these words into your mouth, roll them around on your tongue, savor their sounds and textures. Delight in diction: taste but do not swallow.

THE BEST WORDS
by Diane Lockward

The ones that sound obscene but aren’t,
that put a finger to the flame but don’t burn.
Words like asinine, poppycock, titmouse, tit for tat,
woodpecker, pecorino, poop deck, and beaver.

In tenth grade Mr. Mungonest, my English teacher,
called Barney Feeley a young dastard and silenced
the room. Dastard! I was seduced by words that flirt
with danger but don’t end up in bed. The threat
of Shylock’s If you prick us, do we not bleed?

And fructify — I wanted to conjugate
that sinuous verb, like Proteus, changing its form,
oozing into fructuous, assuming the official ring
of fructification, advocating like a president’s wife
for the Fructification of America.

Wild words that shake their hips, thrust out their genitalia,
and say, Feast on this. Sexagesima — my God!
what a word for the second Sunday before Lent.
Sextuplicate, the versatility of it — noun, verb, adjective —
always occurring six times. And on the equator, positioned
just south of the Sickle of Leo, the constellation Sextans.

My twelfth grade English teacher was Mrs. Cox.
We could not get enough of her name. We raised
our hands and called, Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Cox, choose me!
until we drove her out of school swearing
to become a secretary or a nun, but not until we’d fallen
in love with Edmund the Bastard.

Cockatiel, cockatoo — words with wings.
The hoarfrost of winter, lure of a crappie,
handful of nuts, kumquat, lavender crystals of kunzite,
the titillation of shiftless and schist, the bark and bite
of shittimwood, music of sextillion and cockleshells.

And always somewhere in the distance, Jerry Lee Lewis,
blond curls flapping, groin pumping, fingers pounding
the keyboard, his throat belting out Great balls of fire! —
words like fat radishes burning my tongue.

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See what I mean? The best words from one of our best poets!

For those unfamiliar with Diane’s poetry, Twelve for the Record is the perfect introductory sampler. At only $2.99 per download, it’s also a very affordable and convenient resource for poetry students. It includes an essay describing the inspiration for all the poems, as well as a history of where they’ve been previously published, in print and online (Harvard Review, Prairie Schooner, Poetry Daily, Writer’s Almanac, etc).

Once you own this one, you’ll be all set to go forth and fructify. Don’t miss it!

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♥ For more about Diane Lockward and her work, visit her official website and fabulous blog, Blogalicious. She’s one of the most generous poets around, often spotlighting other poets and offering a wealth of great practical tips and resources, like this updated list of Print Journals That Accept Online Submissions.

♥ I love this podcast interview conducted by Dave Bonta at via Negativa. Several of Diane’s poems are read aloud and there is great discussion about how she transitioned from teaching to the life of a poet. She also reveals why she thinks she writes so often about food — and it’s not because her husband is a restaurant manager!

♥ Here’s a recent Poetry Month interview at Wendy’s Muse, which includes another poem from Twelve for the Record, “Pastiche for a Daughter’s Absence.”

♥ Other Diane poems featured at Alphabet Soup:

♥ Special message for Diane from Humpty Dumpty:

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Proud Grandmother and Poet Extraordinaire Elaine Magliaro, she of the delectable Almond Gateaux, is today’s Poetry Friday host at Wild Rose Reader. Saunter over and sample the tasty poetry and reviews being served up in the blogosphere this week.

BTW, what is your favorite “best word?” I’m quite fond of penal myself ☺.

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22 thoughts on “friday feast: talk almost dirty to me, diane lockward!”

The poetry soup is always cooking in Diane’s poems. They’re meant to be stirred and sipped slowly, reheated, tasted again; that way we can sense each ingredient. Thanks, Jama. Another wonderful post to start the day.

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 11:14 am

You’re absolutely right, Gail. There’s much to savor in each and every one of her poems. I never tire of reading them over and over again, each time discovering a new spice or an ingredient I missed before. Quite a word chef!

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I am so linking to this post through my facebook page. What a fabulous post. Now I get the innuendo of ‘talk almost dirty to me’ – I see and sense with such depth, because I live for verbal fencing (oooh lala). These are my favorite lines from the poem:
“I was seduced by words that flirt
with danger but don’t end up in bed. The threat
of Shylock’s If you prick us, do we not bleed?” – I couldn’t thank you enough Jama for introducing me to Diane Lockward’s poetry. Will try to find her books in our library and will let you know.

By any chance, have you heard of Isabel Allende’s Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses? If you haven’t, I encourage you to look for it, seems like the perfect book for you and Diane. 🙂

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 11:18 am

So glad you like the poem, and I know you will enjoy her books. Of course she writes about so many other subjects besides food; what drew me to her work is that she is always accessible — one of the few poets where I’ll like all the poems in a collection, rather than just a few.

I’ll look for Isabel’s book. Thanks for recommending it!!

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I love, love, love this poem — I’m also very fond of the words ‘hoarfrost’ and ‘kumquat’. My college geology professor loved to say, when someone was making things up or exaggerating, “that’s a load of schist”.

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 11:20 am

LOL! Sounds like you had a great time in geology class.

Kumquat has been one of my favorites too — though I’ve never eaten one before, have you? They look good.

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I am going to keep this comment short so I don’t get myself into trouble. Too many opportunities to offend with all of the inappropriate thoughts rushing through my head.

GREAT poem. I am going to buy What Feeds Us right away, just so I can read this again and again, and see what else Diane cooked up in that book!

-Ed

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 11:23 am

Why Ed, whatever do you mean? *bats eyelashes innocently*

You will love Twelve for the Record. I envy your reading the poems for the first time. Be sure to read “The Best Words” aloud to all your friends — and maybe some of your students?

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What a deliciously naughty, fun post! Thanks for sharing. I couldn’t help but think of the clip from a few days ago when Anderson Cooper put himself on his show’s own “Ridiculist” (the second time, maybe?) because he got uncontrollably giggly during a segment the night before, when the word “pussy willow” came up. No one is immune.

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 3:26 pm

Oh, I’m sorry I missed that! Anderson *does* have a very silly giggle for a grown man. It’s fun to watch his afternoon show because he’s so much more candid and relaxed than he is on his nighttime news show.

Thanks for stopping by and being naughty with us today, Robyn :).

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Extraordinary! I love it. Thanks, Jama.

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 6:22 pm

Thanks for reading and visiting today, Doraine!

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I read this aloud and had such fun! So witty and clever…but never obscene! Thanks, Jama, for another lovely visit at your blog.

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jama says:

May 4, 2012 at 6:21 pm

Glad you liked the poem, Tara! It’s definitely a lot of fun to read aloud :).

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In the many times my middle-school students studied lots of different creatures, the word reproductive and organs never failed to bring red faces & stumbling words in the presentations. This poem is something I think I might share part of with a group like that. They certainly would ‘get it’. Thanks Jama-I’m running off to download on the IPad now!

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jama says:

May 5, 2012 at 10:07 am

Yay! I know you’ll like the poems, Linda.

Yes — those reproductive words. Some of them still give me pause. This poem would likely prompt interesting discussion about obscene-sounding words — I think it might be surprising to compare what adults would come up with vs. your middle school students.

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