Chick-Fil-A Nightmares
Submitted by Editor on June 21, 2009 – 7:33 amOne Comment
Chick-Fil-A Nightmares
by chelsey storey
Yellow daffodils sprout
from a black plastic vase
on a Chick-fil-A table.
A cow clock reads
“U snooz, U looz
chikin.” Chick-fil-A toys
aren’t toys, but educational
word bingo or 50 states trivia.
The waves imprinted on the table
cloth resemble a flat sand dune
or roadkill cat. The way
the gentleman across the table
combs over his last few hairs
reminds me of the thin strings
tethering my uncle
to the living. The waves
on the table turn into imprint
on a casket. Black dahlias spill
over the vase and across
the table over cards and books
from a life spent collecting.
The cow clock stares, livid –
expects more than the words
falling uselessly on paper.
It’s not chicken I’m eating,
it’s flesh.
Powerful! At first i thought ‘Chic-fil-A Nightmares’ was gonna be a funny take on a fast-food trip but it very quickly elucidates a different moment of capture…a serious wandering mind comtemplating life, death, thru the all-seeing metaphor. I was mightily impressed with the use of craft here…how yellow daffadils in the beginning contrast later with black dahlias. The cow clock, to add to things, becomes personified in the end (contrasted with just being opinionated in the beginning) and brings an eerie yet ‘alerted awareness’ to the end. Thanks so much Chelsea Storey for sharing!