In celebration of summer I am sharing the poem Swine Judging: Dakota County Fair which appeared this morning in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The poet is my twin sister, Jane Graham George, about whom I have written before on this blog; her poetry is published by Red Dragonfly Press. As teenagers we often went to the Minnesota State Fair, and even worked there briefly one summer. The carnival rides were never the highlight for us--no, it was always the animal barns and the 4H kids, so read on!
Swine Judging, Dakota County Fair
Plaid-shirt farmboys with bale-strong
arms leaning on the metal corrals,
grandmas, other pigs and handlers,
all watch breathlessly as a small
teen-aged girl and her black, white-
belted pig stand waiting for the judge
who speaks as though he hails
from one of the finest salons
in Europe, literary, I mean,
as if awarding the Prix Goncourt,
enunciating each honeyed word.
"Folks, this young lady does not poke or prod,
is at one with her charming Hampshire hog.
4-H or not, this is equanimity."
Though she really does look like Athena,
it isn't quite like hitting a home run
or sinking a putt from an improbable distance
which is why, once the judge awards the blue ribbon,
there's no arm pumping, no prom-spinning in place.
Something about a hog does bring you right back to earth.
--Jane Graham George