{"id":3035,"date":"2017-07-24T00:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T00:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/?page_id=3035"},"modified":"2017-07-25T00:33:11","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T00:33:11","slug":"sue-blaustein-summer-2017","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/archives\/sue-blaustein-summer-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Sue Blaustein, Summer 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the Wedding Party<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To dance in a grand hotel \u2013 the flagship
\nof a family business! To dine and toast
\nunder vintage chandeliers! The grandson<\/p>\n

– a third generation in the business –
\ngot married here last weekend. The \u201cassociates\u201d
\nhad to see that everything was perfect.<\/p>\n

And now it\u2019s Monday. The heir wakes
\nwith his bride. Maids and chefs head
\nto another shift, or second jobs. Today, of all days,<\/p>\n

the inspector shows up, headed for
\nthe seventh-floor kitchen. She passes
\nbored young cousins from out of town \u2013<\/p>\n

tired now of bland aunts and uncles.
\nThe restless boys wander the halls,
\nwith permission to fill the ice bucket, or go<\/p>\n

to the lobby gift shop for postcards,
\nTwizzlers and gum. While snorting
\nabout tuxedos \u2013 the ruffled shirts men<\/p>\n

had to wear \u2013 they hear plates being racked
\nbehind a door. It opens. They gasp to see
\nsilky fishnet diamonds \u2013 the black hairnet<\/p>\n

on a dish washer\u2019s brow. That grown man
\nleans out, for a moment of cool air, while
\nthe dish machine steams behind him.<\/p>\n

The boys\u2019 eyes meet his for a moment. Then
\nthey elbow each other to the elevator, to
\nbe alone with their wondering mirth, their scorn.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Floor seven – the inspector opens her notepad.
\nShe studies the aftermath and wonders:
\nwhere to begin?<\/p>\n

She sees crab claws reclined in a sink, at the
\nedge of bacon grease glaciers. Stout mixing bowls
\noverflowed with leftover frosting<\/p>\n

never to crown a famous cake.
\nA flour bin\u2019s wheels were stained purple
\nfrom rolling over sliced beets. Bottle caps<\/p>\n

floated like battleships in yellow barrels,
\nabove plastic bags collapsed in melted ice.
\nStirring sticks and doilies stared from<\/p>\n

the floor. The porcelain sink was clogged. It
\nseemed to whisper credos about exceeding
\nexpectations, as if battered white tulips could hear.<\/p>\n

The party was over. Over. She imagines
\npastry chefs on amphetamines, porters
\nseized by St. Anthony\u2019s Fire. An enormous<\/p>\n

spigoted aluminum pot was tilted but didn\u2019t fall.
\nThey\u2019d stuffed a cake with striped icing into a box,
\npiled stained linens against the west wall; dropped<\/p>\n

cashew nuts and dinner roll crumbs onto
\nmeasuring spoons and ladles, then
\nfroze \u2013 it seemed – punched out, and went home.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Now a bus boy reads the paper in the basement
\nlocker room, then changes into blue coveralls.
\nOn the freight elevator floor rest three tapered<\/p>\n

baby carrots who attended the wedding ball. All
\nride together silently. He knows such carrots
\nare like aristocrats. They keep their green,<\/p>\n

fringed foliage – it sets them apart
\nfrom the mass. He often reads the heraldic
\nsigns around him, along with postings about<\/p>\n

the rules and his rights. He remembers
\na full wall of ceramic beer steins
\non display at a place he worked nights.<\/p>\n

Once he picked one up for a closer look,
\ncarefully lifting its pewter head. It played
\nan old world tune over and over \u2013 How we danced<\/em>
\n on the night we were wed!<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Too Long to Stop Now<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All winter Michael\u2019s had placemats
\nwith facts about the ancient Greeks.<\/p>\n

Blue-on-white temple
\ncolumns, a broken bust of Zeus \u2013<\/p>\n

something to look at
\ntill the eggs and hash browns come.<\/p>\n

Look down at thin-skinned Zeus \u2013
\nsporting huge pectoral muscles \u2013<\/p>\n

or across to Maurice \u2013
\nwho watches the door or CNN.<\/p>\n

June\u2019s new mats feature games
\nand puzzles for children. Strange \u2013<\/p>\n

families rarely eat at Michael\u2019s.
\nHere are six cartoon fish<\/p>\n

festooned with goofy fins \u2013
\ndiffering in small details, but two<\/p>\n

are alike. Which two? Maurice
\nisn\u2019t somber today, but his eyes<\/p>\n

are cast straight down.
\nNot gloom this morning \u2013 I don\u2019t<\/p>\n

think so. Often, but not always.
\nI look down myself \u2013 then I know \u2013 but<\/p>\n

to confirm, I tap for his attention:
\nMaurice, are you solving the fish?<\/em>
\nand he nods yes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sue Blaustein lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Last summer, she retired from the Milwaukee Health Department after 25 years as a food safety inspector. She also served as an officer of her union (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) local. She volunteers in the Community Science program of the Milwaukee Urban Ecology Center and does storytelling with Ex Fabula, a group that \u201cStrengthens Community Bonds Through Storytelling”.<\/p>\n

Sue Blaustein’s bio and publication credits are at www.sueblaustein.com.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After the Wedding Party   To dance in a grand hotel \u2013 the flagship of a family business! To dine and toast under vintage chandeliers! The grandson – a third generation in the business – got married here last weekend. The \u201cassociates\u201d had to see that everything was perfect. And now it\u2019s Monday. The heir […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":934,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3035","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nSue Blaustein, Summer 2017 - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/archives\/sue-blaustein-summer-2017\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sue Blaustein, Summer 2017 - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After the Wedding Party   To dance in a grand hotel \u2013 the flagship of a family business! To dine and toast under vintage chandeliers! 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