RISOTTO
The room is drizzled with languages:
Italian, English, Spanish, German.
Each works next to the other
like the ingredients of comfort food
or strands of melody
made contrapuntal.
Gian has given a masterclass
in the cooking of risotto.
Now it sits inside us, beans, rice,
finely-chopped onion and salami
all drenched in a broth of carrot
with celery.
Like a triangle played in a scherzo,
bottle glass kisses wine glass. Wine
glugs, shows its age at its rim.
A joke follows in Italian,
and a smack of laughter precedes
a toast to amici – friends.
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Graham Burchell was born in Canterbury and now lives in Dawlish, Devon. In between he has lived and worked as a teacher or poet in England, Wales and seven locations overseas: Zambia, Saudi Arabia, Tenerife, Mexico, France, Chile and the United States. He has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. His collection ‘Vermeer’s Corner’ was published by Foothills Publishing in the United States in 2008. His new collection, ‘The Chongololo Club’ will be published by Pindrop Press in June 2012. He has won, been placed, commended or short-listed in many poetry competitions, including Poetry on the Lake, the Templar Prize, the Plough Prize and the Lorca in England international translation competition. He frequently gives readings and runs poetry workshops in the West Country and beyond. http://www.gburchell.com//.
Abegail Morley 