Friday, November 11, 2005
LIFE OF A TOASTER
What must life look like to a toaster, the dishwasher, an iron? Choose an inanimate object you use on a daily basis and see if you can create a life for it. Who does it see, what does it like, how does it feel? (I once wrote a poem entitled "Ode to a Vacuum Cleaner.") Have fun with this one!!
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I think I'll try this with my third graders, great idea!
ReplyDeleteVery fresh, raw draft of a poem below. Thank you for the exercise. I found a poem that I didn't know was there!
ReplyDeleteOak Desk Ode
At home with hand-me-down furniture,
discount couch aerated by scissors
and spotted with dog-drool.
Hulking compared to grandma’s
barber table, mirror frame for
girl’s play and a tiny key
to open a secret garden
of napkin rings, stale smelling
linen napkins, and ivory tapers.
Hand-rubbed with lemon oil
until now, now neglected
in a house running on clutter control.
The oak desk homecoming from
the used furniture store, assembled
three parts stacked heavy into place.
Mismatched nobs, missing handle,
16 slots revealed by lifted roll top
pre-labeled: glasses, keys, bills.
Colored beads roll in file drawer
when opened, scars of burns
and scratches welcome more.
A poem calls to create the man
who sat here, along a life of layered
strata, granddaughter dropping
treasure between his important
files, but no, this is my desk now
dark in the corner I a descend
the stairs each morning
paper layers accumulating
slots filled with moments
reclaimed as I open the blinds.