Weasel Under The Cocktail Cabinet Poem by gershon hepner

See under cocktail cabinets a weasel,
says playwright Harold Pinter,
like naked models standing by an easel
who freeze in deep mid-winter,
afraid to leave the studio of the painter
because the furry ferrets
consider naked bodies to be quainter
than all of their demerits.

'Once, many years ago, I found myself engaged uneasily in a public discussion on the theater, ' said Pinter on being awarded the 1970 German Shakespeare Prize. 'Someone asked me what my work was 'about.' I replied with no thought at all and merely to frustrate this line of enquiry: 'the weasel under the cocktail cabinet.' That was a great mistake. Over the years I have seen that remark quoted in a number of learned columns. It has now seemingly acquired a profound significance, and is seen to be a highly relevant and meaningful observation about my own work. But for me the remark meant precisely nothing. Such are the dangers of speaking in public.'


7/20/01