Paleontologist’s Palette

by Joseph Szalinski

      Wing nights attract like tree stars; barstools and booths become bonafide Bedrocks; boasts of the best are shared like rumors and maps to Skull Island. Roars of napkin-muffled belches and a show-and-tell of aromas greet festive company ready to make flavorful discoveries buried in meat instead of layers of crumbly history. Saucy archaeologists whose only tested faith is in their own ability to devour dozens of drums and flats. Dig-Dugs of dry rubs, rattling off crazy culinary nomenclature as difficult as Latin terminology.
      Legacies established by ravenous folk and how quickly or how much slippery sinew they can scarf down. Slain livestock resurrected by atomic flavors, like breaded Godzillas. Pools of ranch and bleu cheese keep liquid zoos like La Brea. Crucial skeletal deposits cohabiting with omnivorous diets of celery, carrots, pizza, and appetizers. Years of evolution to wind up as bones in a paper boat. Calcium-free counterparts leaving no trace; evidence of existence swept away by waitstaff and sanitary wipes.

Joseph Szalinksi is a West View native and a graduate of Slippery Rock University with a degree in Creative Writing and Language & Literature. Since moving back to Pittsburgh, he has become involved in the city’s cultural scene, performing comedy and spoken word in addition to other artistic endeavors.

City of Asylum believes that All Pittsburghers are Poets. With the Poem of the Week series, we seek to increase the readership and appreciation of poetry locally by publishing poems written by residents of Allegheny County of all ages and levels of experience. In partnership with the Poetry Editors at Sampsonia Way Magazine, City of Asylum advances our mission to defend, celebrate, and build on creative freedom of expression. This project received a RADical ImPAct Grant from RAD (Allegheny Regional Asset District).