(hɑːk; hɑːf; Scottish hɒx;)
n
1. (Physical Geography) dialect Scot and Northern English :
a low-lying often alluvial riverside meadow [Old English healh
corner of land; see hollow]
n (hɔ)
2. archaic a yard or close [of unknown origin]
See also:
haw (colloquial interjection):
singular element in the concatenate
belly laugh of the fishwife
her eyes shiny as tripe in the bowl
as she contemplates impertinent
questions from a salesman? suitor?
standing moonfaced clutching
crimp-stemmed gladiolas plucked
from her own fucking garden
whose petals are the reincarnated
spirits of Slovenes who once milled
the dusty lanes south of 10th Street.
Her riant cri de cur, like a tongue-tied
crow, goes up and out the back where
her mutt momentarily stops his digging
caroms down the alley where her son
smiles as he hears her, fells a tree.
She reaches out her prehensile toes
and takes the long blade of flowers
lifting the mute simp’s chapeaux off
in the process, placing it on a tomato
stake to her left where also hangs a tie
and glasses, completing the scarecrow.
Her sigh ushers him off her walk
back to Venerable Flackville.
All day she’s been trying to ladle a meal
from the world’s abdomen, something
worth cooking, her elbows and knuckles
greased in the effort, but so far just gristle
and weak stock.
Inside, the jowl meat’s almost done.
Inside, her familiar, her son, shelves of books
the soup bone of her heart simmering marrow
as her haw wends the narrows of alleys
all the way to the river, become hummed
oblation to the dreamers underneath.
Aaron Nell grew up and has lived in various corners of the Ohio River Valley since ever. He loves reading and listening to poetry. Aaron accompanies his singer-songwriter friends on various instruments and released an album of his own music last year. He co-facilitates community building workshops at the Plainfield Correctional Facility. New to Indianapolis, he is learning and savoring the richness of its arts community.