Three Word Wednesday gave us these words: Cherish, Guarantee… and Nausea. Hmmmm. Amy
ABSINTHE
And after the sumptuous Creole meal, our host
revealed the piece de resistance.
Carefully inserting a skeleton key
into an antique burlwood cabinet,
he extracted a cherished treasure:
His smuggled bottle of Absinthe.
“Plan to stay awhile,” he murmured.
“This is guaranteed to take you
directly to the Source.”
A row of glasses topped with slotted spoons;
a cube of sugar atop each spoon.
He poured through the sugar cubes
slowly, lovingly – as one would bring forth
nectar from the gods.
Green liquid swirled; we held it up to the firelight,
our personal tickets to the Emerald City.
Conversation slowed.
Speech slurred,
then stopped.
In our mutual stupor, we awaited the Divine.
And waited. Then waited some more.
Still, no inspiration, no introspection,
no insights. We stared at one another, then at our host.
Vague notions of Interview With The Vampire flickered,
then faded.
My one and only encounter with Absinthe ended a bust.
And in the morning, a touch of nausea.
Perhaps in the future, I mused, I’ll stick to ‘shrooms.
© 2011 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Also at my poetic oasis, Poets United!
Sharp Little Pencil 
Richard Cody
Not unlike my first and so far only experience of absinthe.
Sharp Little Pencil
Apparently, it used to be laced with hallucinogens. My thinking is that absinthe was the “base” for other far more powerful drugs… Yuck, what a letdown! And the host was embarrassed, because he thought it was “the real deal” and he was The Mad Hatter…! Peace, Amy
Judith
Great words evoking great memories. Lovely swirling green liqueur and mammoth sized headaches the next morning.
Sharp Little Pencil
The memories are great, but going through the actual experience… well…! Thanks, Judith! Amy
Debbie
I love your narrative poems! You make it look so easy . . . 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Debbie. If it steers anyone away from absinthe, that will be great, too! Amy
Madeleine Begun Kane
I sense that absence of pleasure in absinthe. 🙂
Good poem!
Sharp Little Pencil
Very well phrase, Madeleine. You really “got it”! Thanks so much. Peace, Amy
kaykuala
The morning after makes us wise! Never again! Excellent thoughts Amy!
Hank
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Hank. Years ago, I’d wake up and say, “Oy, never again!” And then Happy Hour would roll around… but you couldn’t pay me to try Absinthe again. I suspect in the old days, it was laced with hallucinogens, but now, it’s just a draggy base of nothing…!
booguloo
You said the magic word… shrooms…
Sharp Little Pencil
MIchael, somehow I knew you would zero in on that, ha ha! It’s been years since I did any of that stuff… but the melody lingers on! Peace, Amy
Daydreamertoo
Sounds as if it’s a drink with a bit of a kick.
Nice write!
Sharp Little Pencil
It used to be laced with hallucinogens… now it’s just a drag! But at least it seemed illicit, because it used to be illegal! Amy
Renee Espriu
I’ve heard of this but not very familiar with and as far as those things that cause hallucinations…well, sometimes once tried is all one needs to really know. Well done, Amy.
Sharp Little Pencil
In the old days, it was illegal because it was laced with hallucinogenic drugs. Now it’s legal because it was a “base” for those other substances. Kind of like a Virgin Bloody Mary, only with a bit of a lag. Nothing special, really! Thanks, Renee. Amy
Andy Sewina
Yeah, well told, that stuff’s meant to be deadly, I only had a bit of Sambucca the other day and it put me to sleep for two and a half hours. I think I’ll give the magic whatsits a miss too!
Haiku Wall
Sharp Little Pencil
In the old days, it was addictive, but only because of the opiates, hallucinogens, and other additives. Sort of like the mixer for a marguerita. Now it lacks the “tequila” extras (including the worm). But if you get a hold on the stuff from the old days, THAT was deadly, for sure. Sambucca makes me snore. Give me a locally brewed beer any day of the week, and the last “whatsis” I had was back in my 20s. So… Thanks, Andy! Amy
claudia
haha – fun write – love the notions of interview with a vampire…thanks for the smile in the morning….raise my glass to it…or better not…giggles
Sharp Little Pencil
You crack me up. Claudia. Your rambling thoughts are delightful. I can hear a voice attached to them, because you write how you think, and that’s a wonderful quality in a writer. Amy
Nanka
LOL!! Amy!! I am hallucinating on all the wit and humor you have packed in here with your words!! I must say that you have a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create such enjoyable humor. Great ingenuity over verbal skills. Never a dull moment here!! 😀
Sharp Little Pencil
Nanka, this comment delighted me. Since I’m back out of my depression and catching up, all the smiles are so welcome! Love the concept of hallucinating on humor, and as far as admiring work, right back atcha, friend! Peace, Amy
georgefloreswrite
Haha wonderful! I didn’t see that one coming 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks – and thank Three Word Wednesday, because they gave me the inspiration! A
Inside the Mind of Isadora
I’ve never had Absinthe … it’s supposed to be weird. You described it well. I saw the drink used in Moulin Rouge – the movie – and it’s how they all behaved.
This was a cool poem.
Toodles,
Izzy xoxo
Sharp Little Pencil
Yes, Izzy, back then, they laced it with all sorts of opium and other addictive drugs, which is also portrayed well in the Johnny Depp movie, “From Hell.” Thanks, honey! Amer
Sheilagh Lee
too funny. good story.
Sharp Little Pencil
Wish it wasn’t true, but ah, well… (wink) Nice to hear from you, Sheilagh! Amy
sarsm
😉
Fab!!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Sarah! Glad you stopped by… I’m coming over to your side of the blogosphere now. Amy
charlesmashburn
Wonderful poem! I cracked up when I read the last line! Very entertaining piece!
http://charleslmashburn.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/two-yearning-heart/
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Charles, and thanks also for leaving me a direct link! Sorry it’s taken so long to answer this, but I’m still working on post-depression backlog… Glad the last line made you laugh, because it cracked me up, too! Amy
Pat Hatt
haha this took me back a few years, tried it one time during my drinking days, lets just say it wasn’t a good day the next day..haha soo don’t miss alcohol.
Sharp Little Pencil
Pat, I’m with you on all alcohol except the occasional beer. We have many local microbrews in Madison and close by, and I do like to patronize local businesses. So, unlike years past, we have a fridge that often holds an “assortment” six-pack of bottles. The stores are so cool – they put out many different bottles and give you a six-pack cardboard holder (we re-use them) to sample different beers from around the state.
Needless to say, there is no absinthe microbrewery, nor would I be tempted by one!! Amy
wolfsrosebud
Nice write Amy. I’m starting to think of you as a novel writer. You do such a good job of setting scene. Perhaps, you can squeeze a little writing time to start that first novel. Yes, it was nice to get together with all the small-town charm. The cider was delis…
Sharp Little Pencil
Patricia, I also found another coffee shop down the block that offered more fare than the one we visited. So when I’m ready for another Oconomowockadoodle trip, we’ll meet there!
I have started and stopped and started a memoir of my mom (is that a “momoir:?) but the blog takes so much time, especially as I catch up on comments from my non-computer depressed week. The colors outside our window are glorious, though! I’m going to make a hot cider with a bit of cranberry juice and cinnamon stick. Mmmmmmmm! Amy
MiskMask
Never tried the stuff. For the most part, the only things to cross my lips in that vivid green colour are vegetables and lettuces. I’m just not much of a drinker. 😉
Lovely storyline though, vivid as that colour green.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Marilyn. Glad the poem translated well, even though you had never tried it. That’s actually a good sign for me, that I was describing all well enough. Love, Amy
Dick
Shrooms over absinthe every time, Amy!
Sharp Little Pencil
Haha, you the man, Dick. Even though it was years ago, I can still see the blurred lines and muted colors. A feast for the eyes…
Roger Green
My, I HATE that stuff! Vile.
Sharp Little Pencil
Well, that makes two of us, LOL.
Joseph Harker
And now it’s not even illegal! There’s just no reason anymore. 😉
Sharp Little Pencil
That’s because they took out all the fun stuff! (wink)
Mike Patrick
Amy in her experimental years–and nothing? I’m laughing Amy. Maybe the sugar cubes were just sugar cubes. There was a time, in my high school years, when I would have tried LSD. It was the early 60’s, it wasn’t illegal, and all that one heard about it was how wonderful it was. My problem was I lived in a small town in the middle of Missouri. The only local drug dealer was a pharmacist and you needed a prescription for anything that might remotely give you a buzz. No one even knew where to find Marijuana, so I never got around to trying either one.
Sharp Little Pencil
Mike, I had sources, babe, trusted sources. That’s why I was safe taking hallucinogens; my friends knew Timothy Leary and got it straight from him.
Nowadays, I have to caution kids against even pot = not just cuz it’s illegal, but it’s laced (as were the absinthe sugar cubes) with opiates and other crap. And this was only a couple of years ago, yet long after childbearing age, or I would never have tried it!
Kwee Lewis
One of my best friends in New Orleans was a VooDoo Priest, Fred. For reasons I shall avoid betraying, all I’ll say was that he did love his Absinthe…Ab-sin-the.
I appreciate the memory you reminded to me. Thank you.
Sharp Little Pencil
Maybe he had the “good stuff.” He sounds connected to sources for those things. A VooDoo priest named Fred? Verrrrrrrrrry cool that he didn’t change his name to something exotic. Says a lot about his self-esteem and his calling. Love that. Thanks, Kwee, my darlin’!