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disney fingers
     

in the freezer we have
chicken frankfurters
all the way from Denmark

they thaw into a softness
into a precooked pinkness
the cat will only prod

the generous Danes
provide ten to a packet
they are violinists' hands

or I see them bend into
delicate bridge for a sliding cue
and I hear the click of balls

it is enough to make me
grill seven and I share
them disproportionately

three for you four for me
and three for the bench
where they lie waiting

like disney fingers
one for each nostril
and one left over

James Norcliffe  
   © 1997 

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