No. 224 - Oysters in Texas

Eight oysters
On a bed of ice
In a landlocked Texas town

Fiddle player
and bassist
in a window bay

Patrons in cowboy hats
summer dresses
At ease

Walls are lined with photos
of JFK
Young and handsome and alive

The bass reverberates
The fiddle whines

Horseradish is aggressive
as it clears the sinuses and makes us smile

We stack these awful looking sea creatures on white crackers
Their shells pile up haphazardly
on a bar in Texas

Two days ago they were Canada and Massachusetts
Tonight they’ll be rotting in an alley dumpster
with ribeye fat and salmon skin

*Composed, Edited, and Published at Whatley Wines in Fredericksburg, TX