Poem for Friday, Renfaire, Sound of Music

Wine Tasting
By Kim Addonizio

I think I detect cracked leather.
I'm pretty sure I smell the cherries
from a Shirley Temple my father bought me

in 1959, in a bar in Orlando, Florida,
and the chlorine from my mother's bathing cap.
And last winter's kisses, like salt on black ice,

like the moon slung away from the earth.
When Li Po drank wine, the moon dove
in the river, and he staggered after.

Probably he tasted laughter.
When my friend Susan drinks
she cries because she's Irish

and childless. I'd like to taste,
one more time, the rain that arrived
one afternoon and fell just short

of where I stood, so I leaned my face in,
alive in both worlds at once,
knowing it would end and not caring.

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Addonizio is the author of Lucifer at the Starlite. She tells Poets.org, "A friend and I were tasting Italian wines with an instructional DVD, trying to discern the usual--blackberries, tobacco, etc.--which led to some outrageous comparisons, and eventually to the more serious ones in the poem. I wanted to talk about a famous drinker, too, and eighty-sixed Hemingway in favor of Li Po, who showed me the moon."

December got lost on Thursday -- it was nearly 70 degrees! Paul worked from home in the morning because he had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, I worked on a couple of articles, and due to a Facebook meme I spent more time than I should have discussing favorite books with people, including Bantam Star Trek novels that came out when I was in middle school. It was a glorious day for walking, and the neighborhood squirrels apparently agree with me. Rosie is still not eating normally (meaning she is not whining for food hourly) but she is eating better so we are relieved. Look, I found Pennsylvania Renfaire joust pics:

















I grew up with the Mary Martin-led Broadway cast album of The Sound of Music, not the Julie Andrews-led movie soundtrack, so I am biased toward the stage musical and figured I'd watch the Carrie Underwood version to mock if nothing else. I wasn't terribly impressed with her, but I was thrilled that both Max-and-Elsa songs ("How Can Love Survive" and especially "No Way To Stop It") were in the production, sung by Christian Borle and Laura Benanti who were quite enjoyable. Stephen Moyer was okay -- he's not as handsome as Christopher Plummer back in the day but he can carry a tune -- though really Audra McDonald as the Abbess blew everyone else away anyway.