ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>soniat7</title> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Arachnophilia 4.0"> <meta name="FORMATTER" content="Arachnophilia 4.0"> <meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="content-type"> <meta name="keywords" content="Soniat, Katherine Soniat"> </head> <body style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" alink="#ff0000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#800080"> <center> <table style="text-align: left; width: 753px; height: 32px;" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="center" bgcolor="#ffe4bd"><big><big><big><big><span style="font-family: Algerian;">WORLD VOICES</span></big></big></big></big><br> <br> <div style="text-align: center;"> <big><span style="font-family: Blue Highway; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">THE FIRE SETTERS</span></big><br> &nbsp; <span style="font-family: Blue Highway;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">BY KATHERINE SONIAT<br> </span></span></div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> <table style="text-align: left; width: 751px; height: 32px;" border="1" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="10"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 150px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 204);" valign="top"><br> <font color="black" face="arial, helvetica" size="3"><b>Contents</b></font> <p style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><small style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat.html">Home</a> <br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="intro.html">Introduction</a><br> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="bio.html">About the Author</a> <br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat1.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Dog Days</span></a> <br> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat2.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Cathedral at Chartres</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat3.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Grafitti</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat4.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Dream Salon</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat5.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Givens</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat6.html">Street Kisses</a></span><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat7.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Cool Theatre: Oyster<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Plot</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat8.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Nightshade</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat9.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Flower Viewing</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat10.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Painting White<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mountain</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat11.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Composure</span></a> <br> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat12.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Impoverishment</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat13.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Wanderers</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat14.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Solstices</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat15.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Ghost Laundry</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat16.html">Family Story</a></span><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat17.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Blame it on the Cows</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat18.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Day Spool</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat19.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Hestia</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat20.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Fire Setters</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="soniat21.html"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The Celebrants</span></a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <p style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><a href="http://chapbooks.webdelsol.com/worldvoices/index.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> World Voices Home</span></a><br> <br> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://literaryexplorer.webdelsol.com/">The Literary Explorer</a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://writersonthejob.webdelsol.com/">Writers on the Job</a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://booksforgottenorunknown.blogspot.com/">Books Forgotten</a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://thomasekennedy.com/">Thomas E. Kennedy</a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://www.waltercummins.com/">Walter Cummins</a><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> <a style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);" href="http://webdelsol.com/">Web Del Sol</a><br> <br> <br> </p> </span></small></p> </td> <td style="vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><br> <center> </center> <center> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><big><big>Cool Theatre: Oyster Plot <br> <small style="font-style: italic;"><small>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </small></small></big></big></span><br> <br> We had HUMAN SEX. at the Lyric, <br>meaning winter afternoons spent off-campus in the old moviehouse, <br>a full course of theoretical male extensions <br>and stylized female parts, <br>our bottoms anchored to those worn velvet cushions. <br>For three credit-hours, slide shows descended, <br>professor droning about penile projections, <br>gender specific lubricants, and the mind (little on that) <br>began to wander, <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; as if someone's finger were added <br>to velvet, stirring concepts into undulant bodily waves. <br>The brain lifted the limits, lowered its brow, <br>and slowly the teeth began to show, <br>a come-on to those near at hand. <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Think of a theatre <br>that dark, with the Devil to your left, and on your right <br>a deep, inviting blue sea. <br>Throw off the arm rests, make quick work of the chairs <br>till the three of you levitate to roll through the stuffy air of the Lyric, <br>tongues loose as oysters alive in the mouth <br>when you whisper you want more, <br>you want to rise high as the mountains, the devil forking you up, <br>the sea cresting you farther, higher, bluer . . . <br>tongues slip, lick the lip open <br>until you are all one glistening lover of mother-of-pearl. <p> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><the belled="" air="" ringing.=""><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <small>First published in <i>Virginia Quarterly Review</i> and <i> Poetry Daily </i></span></small><br> <br> <span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"></span> </the></span></div> <small><span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> </span></small><br> <span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"></span><b><font size="5"><br> </font></b><font size="3"><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </font></center> <font size="3"><br> <br> <br> <br> <br> </font></span><font size="3"><br style="font-family: Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"> </font></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> </div> </body> </html>