Today's poem came to me courtesy of The Library of America's "Story of the Week," which highlighted this holiday-appropriate verse by Gregory Djanikian. Until I clicked over to the LoA's site, I wasn't familiar with Djanikian, but I found his poem "Immigrant Picnic" was plain-spoken (i.e. "accessible"), funny, and full of rich imagery. It felt like the perfect literary condiment as I prepare the grill for our own family picnic in the backyard. We're having beer-can chicken with chipotle-cherry barbecue sauce, root-beer baked beans, and grilled corn. As we eat, we'll be listening to the crackle-snap soundtrack of firecrackers popping off in neighborhoods all around Butte....but I probably won't be wearing a hat in the shape of Montana.
Immigrant Picnic
It's the Fourth of July, the flags
are painting the town,
the plastic forks and knives
are laid out like a parade.
And I'm grilling, I've got my apron,
I've got potato salad, macaroni, relish,
I've got a hat shaped
like the state of Pennsylvania.
I ask my father what's his pleasure
and he says, "Hot dog, medium rare,"
and then, "Hamburger, sure,
what's the big difference,"
as if he's really asking.
I put on hamburgers and hot dogs,
slice up the sour pickles and Bermudas,
uncap the condiments. The paper napkins
are fluttering away like lost messages.
Is there any way to get these on my Kindle? It would be really cool!
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