In my working life it becomes necessary from time to time for me to attend workshops and to learn or re-learn some aspect of my professional endeavors. I generally find these little retreats quite interesting and engaging, but by the second half of the day, I sometimes find my mind drifting off into contemplation of unrelated ideas and subject matter.
On one such occasion I found myself mentally bringing together the pristine expanse of golf course that I could see through the feature window – the 9th tee and beyond, as I recall – and the exquisite buffet that had been provided for lunch. At that time, some details of the cuisine escaped me – such as the arancini balls, which I hadn’t previously encountered.
For me, that is sufficient stimulus to cause a surreptitious scribbling of poetry onto note paper, when I should have been attending to the lecture.
The poem I wrote that day later became important to me as I used the title to form the basis of my publishing imprint (Wild Arancini Press). Here is the opening to the poem the hunt for the wild arancini:
the wild arancini
gallops
across the driving range
the golf club chef
so close behind him
holds his implements
up high
his cook’s knife
the roasting fork
a sharpening steel
held to his wrist
by a shortened length
of cord
the apron flies
a-flap
around his knees
his moustache
holds beaded sweat
while his jowls
are in full motion
and broad wobble
but he runs
full stretch
as a lion
might
the prey
leaps and bounds
more like
a gazelle . . .
Read the rest of the poem the hunt for the wild arancini, here.
How can you participate? Use my discussion as a prompt to write a poem or some prose on your own blog about a place that has inspired you, then create a pingback to the prompt page or post your link in the comment section – (please check to ensure your link appears in one form or another). Find out more about pingbacks here.
Around the start of each new month (or six months as it has been on this occasion), I’ll list participant links that have appeared as pingbacks or as posted links in the comment section of this post.
If you have any questions, or if you notice that I have messed up something in this process, drop me a line and I’ll probably manage to work it out.
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I like how a lunch item inspired your imprint title 🙂
I was tickled by it as well, Jacquie.
When I came to register the imprint, everything that occurred to me was taken and over-used – magpies and Australian animals and so on. I decided the only thing I could do that was properly unique would be to draw on my own created menagerie.
Still happy with that.
I’d forgotten about that one. I am reminded of The Hunting of the Snark.
I can still half imagine the poor old chef, exhausted and forlorn at the end, having to listen to that bray in the distance.
One day I’ll assemble the menagerie. I think I’d laugh myself silly at some of the stuff accumulated.