There is a little "put-and-take" shed at our local transfer station. It usually contains an array of unwanted items, many in need of repair. I like to wander through and imagine people cleaning out closets, basements, and pantries. Are they moving to a new home, downsizing, or just a conducting thorough spring cleaning?
Occasionally, I drop off a few things, but I try to avoid bringing home items because I don't want to collect more stuff. Yet … I picked up this plate, and somehow its strangeness convinced me to bring it home.
The rim contains pictures of hinges and drawer handles. The center has a picture of a cheerful gentleman / pirate / town crier? His head is open on top, and his hat connects to his neck with a handle, leading me to believe that he is actually a mug. The pipe that lies in front of the mug is about the right size for the person on the mug to smoke. To whom does this pipe belong? I find the scene confusing. Maybe I am missing something that would have become clear in the context of an entire place setting.
Now that I have washed it and studied it, I will probably return it for the next passerby to ponder. A silly poem for a silly plate:
Gentleman with an Affable Grin
There once was a man with an affable grin
that stretched from his cheeks all the way to his chin.
We so loved his face that we made it a mug.
We passed him around, and we all took a chug.
We so loved the mug that we gave it a pipe.
The mug didn’t smoke – it wasn’t the type.
We so loved the pair that we made them a plate.
We ate every dinner straight off the man's pate.
It’s been many years since the man came and went.
Now no one recalls ever seeing that gent.
In other news, it was my pleasure read Carol Labuzzetta’s Picture Perfect Poetry: An Anthology of Ekphrastic Nature Poetry for Students. I want to offer a special thank you to Carol for her dedication and perseverance in creating this anthology. Incredibly, she completed this project over the course of several months!
I was overjoyed to see gorgeous photos and wonderful poems from so many Poetry Friday friends! I would like to share one of my poems that Carol selected:
Fiery Friend
I know you from
tigers and tangerines,
carrots and parrots,
saffron and sunsets.
You mingle with
goldfish and marigolds,
campfires and cantaloupe,
corals and orioles,
but I did not expect
to find you in forests
dressed down as
commonplace
fungus.
Happy Poetry Friday! Please visit the kind and wise Patricia Franz for this week's Poetry Friday gathering and to share her adventure planting seedlings with The Sugar Pine Foundation!