The Cabinetmaker's Window: Poems

Pig Fucker’s Wife

19 Pig Fucker’s Wife Is how she signed the beautiful card to Nick who gave her husband his name long ago when Josh was a teenager and Pig Fucker made everyone laugh. And the alternate names and secret codes of bullshit live on even though Pig Fucker hasn’t worked here in the shop for years, although we get a card every year at x-mas from Pig Fucker and Pig Fucker’s wife. And China Boy is as pale and precious as a china doll and he works now as a cabinetmaker in Manhattan which sounds like magic—a cabinetmaker in Manhattan— and China Boy is a name Chris despises though it is better than One Eyed Fuck Face and so China Boy in his turn named someone else Little Baby Jesus because Little Baby Jesus was so young and innocent seeming when he started at the shop and now Baby Jesus is a librarian somewhere and of course every cabinet shop in America must have a Malmo, a Shmendrick, an Opie Dopie and a G. And an old man named Mr. Martin who lives now in a Home for years was our upholsterer hard of hearing who confused the name Kevin with Cabin and called Kevin Cabin until one day he could not remember even that though he knew the name was some kind of homemade thing, 20 like a lean-to and called him Shack with a —ck and so we do too today. And many now are gone like Iron Man, Dude and Drizzle Drip. Where are you, Drizzle Drip? Your mother can call you Drew but when you come back to the shop one day with your beard shaved off and making lots of money doing something legitimate and show off your wife and children to us we will greet you with open arms happy to know you are doing so well. We are six-tenths of a mile down Allder School Road over the creek up the washboard road back in the barn you may remember. Perhaps you have a name for it—this place that is neither heaven nor hell where the knuckleheads and hucklebucks remember you still. This ramshackle shining you once knew well. ...