CSJ

Today at Morrison's a Voice
Spoke to me and said I should
Purchase an unusual delicacy ~
The Voice had trouble pronouncing
Coquilles St Jacques but I understood;
I had finished reading a book about the
Pilgrimage to Santiago yesterday and
Knew that the Voice was specially for me;
Without further ado I ran ran ran to the
Fish counter and scooped up the scallops,
Selecting the 6th May expiry instead of the 5th
Because you cannot take chances with shellfish,
Even Holy ones ~ the scallop is the Symbol of
The Via Compostela and is thus one of the
Earliest logos in Europe, a sigil or rebus
Marking out the path and also those who
Have completed the journey;
Last Summer I walked part of
The route on the French side, the
Via Tolosana, joining it near Montpellier
Perhaps I will resume this year;
Anyway I bought the scallops for £2.48,
Having been told by the Voice that they
Were easy for "us blokes" to cook
And whipped them in to the oven
For fifteen minutes at 180o
Once I had arrived home
Along with a Pukka Pie which needed
Forty minutes ~ this was the big Pukka
Which I had managed to find reduced
To £1.25 at a different emporium ~
No Voices spoke to me at the Spar;
The Coquilles were soon ready and
I removed them from the oven,
Leaving the pie to cook alone;
The shellfish was concealed by a
Thick topping of mashed potato and
Cheese ~ the label mentioned parsley
But I could not see any in either of the
Shells, which were about the size of my
Outstretched hand and quite heavy;
I ate the contents from the shells
Which was a bit fiddly due to their
Stubborn convexity in conflict with
The flatness of my dinner plate ~
I opened a bottle of Vaucluse red wine
Although perhaps a Sauvignon blanc
Or Picpoul might have been the first
Choice but the fridge was bare of
White wine apart from half a bottle
Of dessert wine which would not go;
So it was the 13% Grenache-Syrah with
My Holy Snack and it was not displeasing;
Now I have two beautiful shells left
And please do not say ashtrays because
I have no need for those sad accessories
Instead I could fashion a pair of castanets
Or perhaps some vast pilgrim earrings