Joel F. Johnson Verse-Virtual 2016 September

September 2016

I'm a businessman and chronic English major who began writing poetry about ten years ago. Sometimes, I find myself switching back and forth between a spreadsheet and an unfinished poem. My first book of poems, Where Inches Seem Miles, was published by Antrim House at the end of 2013. In 2014, Kirkus Reviews selected it as one of the best books of the year in the Indie category. I've benefited from workshops at the Concord Poetry Center and from the journals which have published my work, including Rattle, Blackbird, and Salamander. My website, joelfjohnson.com, includes a few videos where I've attempted to combine a reading with appropriate images.

Killer Clafouti

The murderer was of an almond extract
familiar with the saucepan. Citrus-based
but bold, he used baking as his alibi
when going out. He understood fruit pudding
and carried 2 tablespoons of orange juice
between cinnamon and vanilla to move
from the all-purpose flour through the cornstarch
undetected. He wore blended peaches
with evaporated milk. He was troubled,
had a history and when his family found out
he was baked in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes
until a knife inserted in his custard center
came out clean. Served up in a covered dish,
he was drizzled with expressions of regret.

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