The Millennial Pedestrian

I didn’t know the work of Paul Violi until I came across this poem in The Best American Poetry 2006. Turns out he’s written 12 books of poetry, he’s just about my age, teaches at The New School and Columbia. I am going to track down some of his books and see if the rest of his oeuvre is as engaging  as "Counterman."

Counterman
    By Paul Violi

 – What’ll it be?

Roast beef on rye, with tomato and mayo.

– Whaddaya want on it?

A swipe of mayo.
Pepper but no salt.

– You got it. Roast beef on rye.
You want lettuce on that?

No. Just tomato and mayo.

– Tomato and mayo. You got it.
… Salt and pepper?

No salt, just a little pepper.

– You got it. No salt.
You want tomato.

Yes. Tomato. No lettuce.

– No lettuce. You got it.
… No salt, right?

Right. No salt.

– You got it. Pickle?

No, no pickle. Just tomato and mayo.

– Pepper.

Yes, a little pepper.

– Right, a little pepper.
No pickle.

Right, no pickle.

– You got it.
Next!

Roast beef on whole wheat, please,
With lettuce, mayonnaise, and a center slice
Of beefsteak tomato.
The lettuce splayed, if you will,
In a Beaux Arts derivative of classical acanthus,
And the roast beef, thinly sliced, folded
In a multifoill arrangement
That eschews Bragdonian pretensions
Or any idea of divine geometric projection
For that matter, but simply provides
A setting for the tomato
To form a medallion with a dab
Of mayonnaise as a fleuron.
And – as eclectic as this may sound –
If the mayonnaise can also be applied
Along the crust in a Vetruvian scroll
And as a festoon below the medallion,
That would be swell.

– You mean like the Cathedral of St. Pierre in Geneva?

Yes, but the swag more like the one below the rosette
At the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.

– You got it.
Next!

This entry was posted on Monday, September 3rd, 2007.
It's part of the Prose category.
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