Worn Slap Out, a poem by Joni Caggiano at Spillwords.com
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Worn Slap Out

Joni Caggiano·
PoetryEnglish
·14 Comments·1 min read·

Worn Slap Out

written by: Joni Caggiano

@theinnerchild1

 

Ms. Egret lay her scrawny neck upon my braless chest
Tears sting like chigger bites for her lonesome sorrow
White fluff, her hatchling falls over yonder from her nest
I’ll fetch her from between the cattails sun-up tomorrow

Ma is looking for my fresh-skinned catch, a small catfish
Hushpuppies nip and growl when they hit the sizzling lard
I’d be blowing away mosquitos, I reckon, if I had one wish
Or maybe living in high cotton where life won’t be so hard

Fixin to wash up with water at the neighbor’s new well
I’ve been hankering something fierce for a white lace dress
Ma be madder than a wet hen cuz of peas I didn’t shell
Mudbugs simmering in Ma’s sauce, she cooks the best

Tick crawling up my skinny leg, seeing his white spot
Ma smiling, rocking on the stoop, even though we dirt poor
She’s always telling me to be thankful for what we got
Gonna get some shut-eye cus, in dreams, even poor folk soar

 

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

When growing up, the first few years of my life, we lived on military bases and Southern slang was not used. When we moved to a very isolated town in the South, slang was common, and although this is not about my life, this is the way we all eventually spoke.

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14 Responses

  2. Dearest Henrietta,

    Thank you so much for reading me on SpillWords my friend. I am grateful that you enjoyed this piece. As you can imagine, that kind of slang was immediately shed, like a snake with their skin, as soon as we moved to a larger town. Much of it was picked up from the half-dozen homes within walking distance of ours. Not even the road was paved. The town had a post office, grill, and general store, but that was an hour’s walk away. We only had a general store that provided gas, that is it.

    Many blessings to you, dearest Henrietta, and it is nice of you to visit as your Master’s classes have likely started. Juggling a demanding, although loved, full-time job and school would make your time very precious. Sending you my gratitude, love, and blessings always. Joni

    1. Dear Dawn,

      Thank you so much for reading me here at SpillWords. I am grateful for your gracious comment and am pleased you enjoyed the piece. I thought sharing some of the slang I used might interest people. It is funny how quickly you can pick up a different dialect, especially when young. Thank you again, Dawn, for taking the time to comment. I know how very busy everyone is. Have an amazing week, my friend.

  4. Joni, this is such an incredible piece of writing. It just oozes authenticity, the vernacular of the South. I lived in SC and LA for a while and a lot of the terminology and customs were vastly different from my native region in the Southwest. I’m reminded of the first time I tried hushpuppies in Shreveport, LA, trying to eat them with a fork, and some kids nearby giggling, telling me to use my fingers. Catfish steaks, crawdads, fireflies, magnolias, azaleas, kudzu, sweet tea, melt-in-your-mouth green beans with brown sugar and bacon… This poem reminds me of those times. It’s a masterpiece, my friend. I really enjoyed this one. 😊

    1. Dearest Mike,

      Thank you so much for your kindness. You know how much I adore your work. I imagine a small child giggling about you using a fork on a hushpuppy. I bet they were terrific in Shreveport, LA. The great ones have hot peppers in them and onion, and they are fried up but not too greasy. I loved catfish; in KY, they were always one of the most expensive things in a nice restaurant, where I would take my little sister on the money I made while still in high school. Thank you for your kind comment, Mike; I enjoyed your interview and made sure to leave you some love. I learned some great stuff about you. It is always an honor to be on SpillWords pages. Big hugs and love, Joni

  5. Your words take us back and deliver the essence of life in imagery so poignant. Love this end line, Joni!

    “She’s always telling me to be thankful for what we got
    Gonna get some shut-eye cus, in dreams, even poor folk soar    ”

    💗

    1. Thank you so much, Cindy, for your kind comment. I appreciate it and am delighted you enjoyed it. It was a fun piece to write, and although my slang wasn’t that extreme, I picked up a lot of slang when we moved from military base housing when I was young to that tiny town in North Carolina. Many roads were not even paved, and we were fortunate that our house and land were about a mile from the candy store and gas station. The only thing until the next town was at the end of our street. ❤️❤️🌹🙏

    1. Thank you so much for reading me here at SpillWords and I appreciate your gracious comment. I am thrilled to have been blessed to win Publication of June. I hope your week is filled with love. Joni

    1. Thank you so much, Lisa, for your kind and gracious comment and reading me here at SpillWords. Congratulations on your success as well. Many blessings, Joni

  8. Not sure how I missed this, other than I have been all over the place with so much writing in between motherhood. Congratulations on publication for the month of June. (I may have voted, I don’t remember!)

    I really like the last two lines, finding respite in sleep and the fact that in dreamland, we’re all the same.❤️

    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Melissa. I truly appreciate you reading my work here on SpillWords. It was a fun piece to write and full of happy reminders of my mother in the kitchen—many congratulations on winning Poet of the Month for July. It was a beautifully written piece. Big hugs and blessings, Joni

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