------------------Permafrost
At the Oyster Bar Above all of this a channel barge swoons, waits. The captain anchors; he knows of the wreck, the reef's
bounty.
How many dark-haired boys' hands scuttle Among the ravages oflemon, fork, and tabasco? Shucked clean of meat, shells kneel next to the horseradish, Impaled by tongue, open, ready for all takers. No matter how hard he pries, the boy ripping open The oyster with his penknife is soft on the inside. Young women parade up the bar: pins, ribbons, bows Dazzle the darkened aisles with swivels oflight. The boy cased in his black leather jacket pricks Collar, slumps shoulders, grips stool, strains forward. What divers descend, able to breathe at such depths? They find the bed at the heart of the reef and pick it clean.
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