Ellen Hagan

Ramsey’s—Lexington, Kentucky

Cajun catfish w/ golden crust
ham hocked green beans, buttered saltines
gravy-ed potatoes, onion-ed roll, red onion
burn of salt, fat sweet the plate

ham hocked green beans, buttered saltines
be the grease, be the fry oil that brings you back
burn of salt, fat sweet the plate
be the kentucky’d clog & arterial pull

be the grease, be the fry oil that brings you back
slather, smother, sop, slurp
be the kentucky’d clog and artery pulled
be the sweet, be the savor, be the gullet, be the gut

slather, smother, sop, slurp
garvy’d potatoes, onion’ed roll, red onion
be the sweet, be the savor, be the gullet, be the gut
catfish cajuned w/ golden crust

Ellen Hagan

Ellen Hagan is the author of Crowned (2010) and Hemisphere (forthcoming from Northwestern University Press, Spring 2015). She recently joined the poetry faculty at West Virginia Wesleyan in their low-residency MFA program. Ellen co-leads the Alice Hoffman Young Writer’s Retreat at Adelphi University, and is Poetry Chair of the DreamYard Project. She lives with her husband and daughters in New York City. 

 

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Bianca Spriggs