Dinner Music

conducting an orchestra:
the horn section, indignity
drums and cymbals
of dinnertable splatter
through a flume with
gravy sputters, he

jabs chopsticks in the air to
punctuate his ire
stained crumbs
of rice linger against the bowl
to the slope of his European
chin one clings
our fusspot of Cathay

despot a feu
to spot a few..
as if scripture, it
pours in tumblers of spittle foam
and golden brew stream of a
course of righteous stew



Ellen Sander


China Poetry Cover Page