‘Popcorn’ by Braxton Younts

Popcorn

by Braxton Younts

Fact-fiction
mockumentary
cinematography Maize traveled bumpy
Andes, through jungles
Central America, nourishing
natives, colonists, who spread
shipping globally through time
my mouth and bed
Belltown Seattle Washington.
Crunchy, salty, buttery
not crawfish—lacks spices
not Cheetos—cheese?
greasy hands, my keyboard
chapped lips, my face
tiny bits, my teeth.
Did Chief Seattle enjoy corny flavor?
buttery fishing hand, greasing
totem pole, reaching above Sound,
hand slipping from kayak paddle?
Maize buds cascading into
flames when brown face turned, looked
popping, sizzle like frying salmon
one two three burnt nibbles
not knowing, celluloid invited
Groucho Marx, silent-film inspired
mistake became moviehouse snack,
tasty lunch.

Born in North Carolina, weaned on beer and oysters, Braxton lived in the heart of Appalachia. After that he roamed the cold streets of America, Europe and Japan, collecting trinkets, mainly refrigerator magnets, chasing elusive dreams, writing a little, things mostly for myself, and trying to forget something very sad that happened long ago. He eventually earned a BA in English with Creative Writing Emphasis from the University of Washington in Seattle. Currently, Braxton rents an apartment in Queens where he lives with his wife and son, and is a MFA candidate at The New School.