A bit of bible,
a bit of bile,
shared ‘tween riverhick
and hillbilly,
redneck and whitetrash,
you, and me,
speaking well of crick and roof,
horse-races and bakers’ dozens
six one way, half-dozen another,
or maybe a buck a piece –
ranging wide, we find
these turnip phrases all over,
common as mustard,
pungent as dill –
throw ’em in this
bastard stewpot,
cook it up with
eastern ‘taters, southern grits,
the delicate fish from delicate shores,
the wild rushes,
the forgotten pawpaw,
and perhaps together,
together,
something new
will grace our tongue.
turnip phrase
