January 07, 2010
Thursday Poem
In The Kitchen
A jug of water
has its own lustrous turmoil
The ironing board thanks god
for its two good strong legs and sturdy back
The new fridge hums like a maniac
with helpfulness
I am trying to love the world
back to normal
The chair recites its stand-alone prayer
again and again
The table leaves no stone unturned
The clock votes for the separate burial of hearts
I am trying to love the world
and all its 8,000 identifiable languages
With the forgetfulness of a potter
I’m trying to get the seas back on the maps
where they belong
secured to their rivers
The kettle alone knows the good he does,
Here in the kitchen, loving the world,
Steadfastly loving
See how easy it is, he whistles
by Penelope Shuttle
Posted by Jim Culleny at 07:56 AM | Permalink
Comments
What a terrific poem.
Posted by: jim | Jan 7, 2010 9:36:07 AM
Reading this, I cannot help but wonder if it was inspired by the following:
Everything is Waiting for You
(After Derek Mahon) - by David Whyte
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
Posted by: -H | Jan 7, 2010 12:28:36 PM
Whoa!
I found you via bleakonomy, and I normally scoff at poems. But this is amazing. Must go read your older posts, for you clearly have great taste.
Posted by: Naptimewriting | Jan 7, 2010 12:46:11 PM
"Everything is waiting for you"
And the lights are much brighter...
Posted by: J.Hawkins | Jan 7, 2010 12:50:46 PM
I didn't know that potters were forgetful. Is there any research on this ?
Posted by: Martin g | Jan 8, 2010 2:58:40 PM
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