To lighten the mood – maybe
A few years ago, I responded to a writing prompt from Delores, who used to blog but had to give up. She asked, ‘How many ways can you work the word ‘sliver’ into a sentence?’
I dished up some doggerel, reminded of the times I would insist that my children ate the liver I’d cooked occasionally, because it was ‘good’ for them. It was cruel. Of course, it may have been the way I cooked it – I will never be acclaimed as a good cook, not even, I fear, a passable one.
One of them has been an avowed vegetarian for most of her adult life! I wonder why?
My apologies to those who may have seen this flight of fancy before.
A sliver
of liver
Makes small children shiver
When struggling to swallow
The unswallowable,
And all
of a dither
Their tears start to slither,
Unstoppable river -
It’s horrible.
They gaze
at the giver,
A look that would wither
The hardest of hearts -
Ineffable.
‘Just a
sliver of liver,
To make you grow strong,’
The adult’s persuasion -
Implacable.
The
sliver grows bigger,
And drier and harder,
It can’t be choked down -
Unspeakable.
If all
children ate
The things that they ‘should’
They’d grow into giants -
Implausible.
Cleverly constructed and funny too.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteClever. And you can add me to the list of those who have never been able to stomach liver!
ReplyDeleteIt's not my favourite meat, but I do eat it occasionally - once every ten years or so.
DeleteLOL!
DeleteI don't remember this clever poem, clearly you weren't on my reading list back then.
ReplyDeleteI remember liver, my mum used to slice it very thinly, coat it with flour, then fry it in butter or left over bacon fat for flavour, and we loved it. I still cook it this way, though very rarely now as a whole liver is way too much for one person and they aren't as cheap as they used to be.
Liver and bacon are good companions. All offal is expensive these days - well, everything's expensive!
DeleteOh this is wonderful! It reminds me of Shel Silverstein!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, high praise indeed, thank you.
DeleteHighly entertaining doggerel - thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLove the poem. Liver was one thing I just couldn't eat. Yuk!
ReplyDeleteIt has a very strong flavour - not my favourite meat, but I do eat it occasionally.
DeleteI like your verse but I don't like liver. My parents made myself and my next brother eat tripe once. In our adult lives, my mother apologised to me.
ReplyDeleteTo add, I find all offal awful. C'mon, someone had to do it.
DeleteI've never eaten tripe. My father used to eat it with salt and pepper.
DeleteSomeone had to do it, but you were first . . . 👍
DeleteI love it! The poem and liver. Haven't cooked it for ages.
ReplyDeleteMust buy some this weekend.
I looked for kidneys the other day - none to be found anywhere.
DeleteLove the poem but allergic to liver in so many ways!
ReplyDeleteIt's strong and it's not everyone's cup of tea . . .
DeleteI love pigs liver and we often have it.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a choice of liver, but there doesn't seem to be now.
DeleteYou are quite talented. Lovely poem despite it being about liver. When I was growing up we had chicken liver once a week. I don't think I minded it. But now as a vegetarian, the thought of liver makes me quiver-
ReplyDeleteA quivery liver - lovely!
DeleteI used to like liver, but I don't eat meat now.
ReplyDeleteWe don't eat as much meat as we did when growing up. My middle daughter hasn't eaten meat for 40 years.
DeleteI admit that's a fun poem and it makes me chuckle. But I can tell you when I was a child my mother would slap liver and onions in front of my face, I'd put a bite in my mouth sit there for a minute spit it out into the paper napkin. After many many times of this she finally agreed that if I would eat the gravy on my potatoes I didn't have to choose a nasty liver.
ReplyDeleteI remember those horrible times of trying to force food down. In my case, it was school dinners and awful gristly meat.
ReplyDeleteThis is delightful, and your funny poem said it all. Thank you for starting my morning off with a chuckle. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their liver and onions. My sister and I not so much.
ReplyDeleteLiver has a very strong flavour, not easy for children.
DeleteI love, 'A sliver of liver makes small children shiver.' Makes grown women shiver as well.
ReplyDelete. . . but it's good for you . . . 🤢
DeleteIt describes the experience well. Liver brings memories of my mother cooking it with a sauce. I liked it, but Dad wouldn't eat it. Sue won't cook it although she and I both like liver and onions. We last had the dish at a restaurant maybe about ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt can become very leathery if overcooked, like any meat, really.
DeleteExcellent verse x
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Thank you, Alison.
DeleteFun poem. I remember at the age of 5 having the struggle to eat liver or not being allowed to leave the table. I have no recollection of who won the standoff. Obviously, I'm here and not still sitting at the kitchen table. But did I comply or did she give in? That memory is blocked. After that, Ma never bought or cooked organ meat again.
ReplyDeleteI think we all have memories of having to eat things we didn't want to - horrible memories.
DeleteCute! Back in the early 90s I found a Julia Child recipe for liver that was fantastic. I could never get Hubby to try it, but MIL turned into my liver-eating partner until she passed away several years later.
ReplyDelete'I like 'liver-eating partner' - what a partnership. 😎
ReplyDeleteNicely done.
ReplyDeleteThank you. 😀
DeleteI like the poem and I also like liver, especially when it's served with bacon and onion gravy ... yum!
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Mashed potato helps, too, sometimes.
DeleteDoes make me smile!
ReplyDelete😀
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and clever poem, Janice! I've never been a fan of liver either, just the thought is making me shiver too! xxx
ReplyDeleteIt's not a delicate meat . . .
DeleteHi Janice - clever choice ... as I happened to be cooking some liver for my supper that night - co-incidence ... or?! Love the poem ... I hope you'll let us see more - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a coincidence.😀
ReplyDelete