Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Margaret Simon posted early for Poetry Friday this week at Reflections on the Teche, and I was so taken with a line of her original poem (written in response to other creative work), that I grabbed a spoonful of inspiration for my own little post today.
In the middle of Margaret's poem we find these lines:
...
Down in the abyss
of the silverware drawer,
a teaspoon speaks
of years of sugar
measured,
...
©Margaret Simon
(I put that last phrase in bold, because it resonated so strongly with me. Say it out loud - g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s lines, rich and slow like sugar.)
Margaret explains that the title of her poem comes from fellow creative Denise Gallagher - words she "stole" in the spirit of Austin Kleon (whom I was lucky to meet/hear speak a few moons ago!). Margaret says this stealthy kind of Kleon-fueled artistic borrowing came from a Facebook group started by our own Laurie Purdie Salas.
It's just a trail of inspiration, Hansel and Gretel-like, left in the creative woods of the world. I reached down to pick up some grains because, in addition to the lure of the words themselves, Margaret's explanation of going through her parents' house when they moved to a retirement home also spoke to me, having done a bit of that in my in-laws' home earlier this year.
While I usually don't write "desk haiku" - my poems are generally borne by experienced moments - I had to borrow this sugar, as it were. It got me thinking of all the sweet moments in a life, and the not-so-sweet times folks must go through, and how a bit of work (polish) can restore shine that's been lost.
old teaspoon
years of sugar
and tarnish
©Robyn Hood Black, with a nod to Margaret Simon. All rights reserved.
Thank you for meandering along today! Be sure to read Margaret's entire poem and check out all the great poetry links over at Reflections on the Teche. And a shout-out to my hubby, Jeff, on his birthday, and all the sweet moments shared and yet to come.
