"After reading discourses about how a bird can be prepared for a banquet so that its feathers remain intact by exsanguinating it through the mouth and careful use of damp cloths." by Ray Ball

After reading discourses about how a bird can be prepared for a banquet so that its
feathers remain intact by exsanguinating it through the mouth and careful use of damp cloths.

Plate the peacock
with gold leaf.
In its mouth
a flame
of camphor.
Serve the bird
first
standing upright
in irons
with tailfeathers spread.
The meat of this bird
increases melancholy
and is
only moderately
nourishing.
When roasted
old ones
can be
kept
eight days
in winter.

Ray Ball

Ray Ball, Ph.D., is a history professor at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. When not in the classroom or the archives, she enjoys running marathons and spending time with her spouse, Mark, and beagle, Bailey. She is the author of two history books, and her creative work has recently appeared in Breadcrumbs Mag, L’Éphémère Review, and The Cabinet of Heed. She tweets @ProfessorBall.

Photo Credit: Tiffany Cook