Home

Read - Chat

keep it quiet

authority
has called us out

as nuisances
pranksters
and deviants

since birth

to be monitored
by surveillance

for the ongoing
safe operation of system

maximizing efficiency

that finds and discourages

nuisances
pranksters
and deviants

defined only
by criminal records

in households
where teenage angst

congregates around retro turntables.

'keep it quiet' first published September 26th, 2023 Sparks of Calliope edited Randal Burd Jr. Two Poems by Geoffrey Aitken – Sparks of Calliope

Cook - Eat

Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches

From Mum’s letter to my children and grandchildren
‘In the 1930’s and 1940’s it was the thing to have lady friends to afternoon tea – lace tablecloth, scones, sandwiches, sponge cake the lot! My Mother used to try and send her friends home before I came home from school. I must have been really untidy – 1 plait always undone, stockings around my ankles and ink blots everywhere. I did grow out of this phase by the time I went to Tech School.’

Smoked Salmon Finger Sandwiches
3/4 cup (180g) crème fraîche
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
2 shallots chopped finely
18 slices white bread
300 grams smoked salmon
Place crème fraîche, chives and shallots in a small bowl; stir to combine. Season to taste.
Spread half the bread slices with crème fraîche mixture; top with salmon, then sandwich with remaining bread.
Using a sharp serrated knife (or electric knife), trim crusts; cut each sandwich into three long fingers. (The trick to tidy-looking sandwiches is to use a fast sawing action, without applying pressure to cut the sandwiches.)
Cover sandwiches with lightly dampened paper towel, then plastic wrap; store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Reading Gallery