The 101st Note on Violence
- The 101st Note on Violence
for Julie Carr
Cast iron: iconic. Romantic even. Well oiled. Seasoned. But far too heavy. Fatal. Certainly. If wielded. Determination or luck.
Stainless steel. Core: aluminum. Enlightened: even heat distribution. Still, too much heft. Despite mass production. Deceptive, a brushed metal shine.
Dollar store special. Surface: tin. Or aluminum. Abandoned: implicated: dementia. Dents easily. A hardy scrub. It will do
nicely. For smacking my husband’s head. Emphasis or attention. Or defense. Small injury. No lasting damage. This is how I choose
a pan for the stir fry. Some minds. The proximity (necessity, option) of weapons. This is why. I plead (threaten). No guns in the house. [End Page 218]
Michele Battiste’s first full-length collection, Ink for an Odd Cartography, was released in 2009 from Black Lawrence Press. She is the author of three chapbooks, the most recent of which is Slow the Appetite Down (Spire Press, 2009). Her work has recently appeared on Verse Daily and in Beloit Poetry Journal, Mid-American Review, the Laurel Review, and Barn Owl Review, among other journals. She currently lives in Boulder, where she teaches and studies at the University of Colorado and wades in the creek. [End Page 219]
