For the uninitiated, the tradition can seem strange or downright savage. Where are the utensils? The plates? You want me to do what with the head of that creature? But for many Texans, it’s a season worth celebrating all unto itself.
An Ode to Crawfish Season
There’s nothing quite like it
More than a meal
When you pour out a batch
of piping hot mud bugs
onto a table covered in yesterday’s news
folks will swarm
will tear & suck & che
eyes watering from the laughter
& the spice
big ones teaching little ones
to pinch the tail just right
It’s a tradition
of tenderness & joy
fingers & thumbs working
through the good kind of burn
an all day affair
unphased by the setting sun
By the glow of a porch light
peeling what’s left for tomorrow’s
etoufee or crawfish cornbread
zydeco fading into the night…
Typewriter Rodeo airs each Friday on Texas Standard. Send us your ideas for a poem on Facebook or Twitter, or send us an email.
Typewriter Rodeo is also available anytime in podcast form.
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
