trout

Making Siapo: 4. Beating the bast

Cherie Barford

the dull thud of a beating
churns my stomach
triggers adrenalin
my legs pump a getaway
out of any door or window

but the fight has gone from bundles of bast

it's been pressed out with excess water
by deftly applied shells and open palms

the bundles submit to wooden anvils
are evenly beaten
by grooved and smooth faces

there's a rhythm to it all

and when it's over
sheets of cloth are stretched out
on mats or mown grass
weighted down with stones
left to dry like parchment