MEAT JOY

for JM–G

Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls
— James Joyce

The gizzards of chickens
are suckled with frenzied
slurps and the bones
are marrowed by tongues
that probe the insides
for gelatinous globs of fat.

Teeth that bit femurs
and ribs and tibias
are gnawing on ulnas
and clavicles, stripping
the flesh from the scraps
to be tossed to the pigs.

Chewing on claws
for the knuckle-meat,
an ecstasy of gristle
and skin that sticks
in teeth like gum
and spills down chins.