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UK – Jen Hadfield
UK – Jen Hadfield
Faith made us stand facing the wall.
But to visualise debt on this scale we had to climb it
and confront bankrupt Luilekkerland – País Cucaña – the Fools' Paradise –
and witness the mass exodus of the lamed hams –
the pounds melting off them,
carving knifes dropping from their clove-studded crackling – as they cantered
the shattering flats of sour curd. Someone hoisted a greasy pole,
crowned it with a cottage loaf, and it was idolised – it started a riot.
When we'd seen the bonus-trees bust, shrink and canker,
we'd seen enough – we climbed down peerie-wise
to open the sluice-gate above the little mill –
the sober, brown water clasped the wheel,
a nutritious crater began to accumulate
around the susurrant millstones.
And downstream, this one excess – swans flocked to the inundated pasture,
and up-ended there, flickering –
it wasn't worth anything, but looked just like a bowl
of liquid flame.
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'Luilekkerland' (1567), Pieter Brueghel The Elder greasy pole/'La Cucaña' (Goya 1786/87 /de boom van luilekkerland/de ingevette klimpaal
peerie wyes (Shetland dialect) = cautiously