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Thanks Jayne, Jim, Harry, Phil.
It seems like all of you are putting effort into deciphering the poem's meaning. It's, as Jim says, a snapshot of a hundred or more times when I've said to either to my wife or daughter, "Don't lick the knife". It's become their little way of getting under my skin : )
The poem relates a rather innocuous thing on the surface — an annoying habit of a family member — and deals with it in a cheeky, cloying way. But I also wanted to play a bit with the intrigue of the phrase, "Don't lick the knife" for its dark-edged imagery.
Jayne, I regret to say that you've gone off in a much different direction than what the poem intends! The nod to Lewis Carroll never occurred to me. I don't see any connection other than the word "jam". I've also never heard the idiom, "jam tomorrow" and, now that I know what it means, can't see how it refers to the poem. Oh well. Brits and jam
I've changed the title to be "Her Jam".
Harry, your interpretation is much more severe than I intended. I get the impression that you saw in the poem a kind of toxicity in a relationship that is just not there, imo. Maybe I need to look at that to be sure...
Jim, You've got the gist of it. I mean for the poem to come off as playful. It's, as you say, a snapshot of a relationship(s) that is strong enough to withstand the day-in and day-out petty annoyances with each other and still come out feeling loved, despite those little things you can't change : )
Hi Phil, Yes you picked up on the subtle tinge of edginess in the poem. I think I may need to soften the ending a bit to avoid the contempt that you picked up on that should not be there. And yes, there's no doubt there is a sensuality in the poem (I hope) that lurks in the background.
The subject in the poem is a composite of my wife and our daughter, both of whom have always licked the knife when the opportunity presented itself. It's one of those pet peeves for me and they know it. My chastising them has never deterred them from doing it whenever the situation presents itself. My daughter especially would tend to defiantly lick it again after I said it as she smiled at me. It's something of an inside joke, I guess. I would think that, after I'm gone and the family is sitting around reminiscing, they will no doubt say lovingly, "Remember how he used to say
'Don't lick the knife' and tell us we were going to cut our tongues?"
The poem is meant to begin with frustration. I've always said "don't lick the knife"
as they lick it, but have never said it
just before they lick it. It's one of those things that happens so quickly and in the moment that I've never had the presence of mind to thwart her
from licking it; only to admonish her after the fact (and sometimes while in the act) for licking it. Just one of those things. It's a kind of "you had to be there" kind of moment to appreciate the nuances of the back-and-forth exchange of words and behaviors.
I've always liked the imagery embedded in the phrase "lick the knife." It has a seductive, almost daring feel. "Don't lick the knife" just feels metaphorical. I'm not exactly sure how it is, but it certainly has the feel of being a powerful metaphor. So I like it for that reason, too.
Full disclosure: no blood has been shed licking the knife. At least not in my house.
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Jam
Linear Mode
