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Friday Poetry- The Table Poem



'Sometimes the easiest way to start is not to try to ‘think something up but to write something down – and what better place to begin than with what is right in front of your eyes?'   
  Andy Griffiths, 'Once Upon A Slime.'


With these excellent words ringing in my ears, I did just that. I sat down at the table with my notebook and wrote this poem to celebrate it's existence. So in a way the table was both the subject of my poem and a facilitator. 

 So my advice is sit still and take a look around you. There are so many potential ideas waiting to be discovered. They are hiding in the open!


 The Kitchen Table

This table listens to our secret conversations
Revealing nothing
It watches babies grow
Eavesdrops on discussions
-Marvellous
-Mundane
Heartbreaking and ridiculous
This table witnesses the emergence of wisdom
Through the years
Through interminable time
to and fro across its ever flat surface
Words weave and wander
-Sting
-Delight
Comfort and stir
This table silently acquires
Cuts and scrapes
And the accidental spills and splashes
from the merriment of meals and moments shared

 This table
Anchors our shared existence
Keeps us together
Provides a meeting place
And reveals nothing.

 Alan j Wright








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Comments

  1. Whispers from the Ridge9 June 2018 at 06:08

    Alan, there is true magic in the ordinary of our lives. I love that you affectionately call this "the table poem." I think I have many "table poems" hiding around the ridge . Now off to write them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright9 June 2018 at 10:12

      Kiesha, you are spot on regarding the magic qualities of the seemingly ordinary. This is something the poetry of Pablo Neruda celebrates. I am sure you will find treasure in your search of your immediate surrounds. Happy wandering.

      Delete
  2. Mary Lee9 June 2018 at 07:29

    You're so right! Poems are everywhere...if we just look...and write. (And oh, the stories my table could tell!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright9 June 2018 at 10:13

      Put your ear to the table Mary Lee and listen to its whispered secrets.

      Delete
  3. Joyce Ray9 June 2018 at 08:03

    Beautiful secret-holding table! Your poem honors this everyday object we take for granted. Love these lines:

    This table
    Anchors our shared existence
    Keeps us together

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright9 June 2018 at 10:15

      Thank you for your kind remarks Joyce. It heightens our awareness and our connection to the world around us when we honour the everyday items that exist alongside us.

      Delete
  4. Michelle Kogan10 June 2018 at 11:26

    Lovely Ode to a table Alan–it brought back memories of mishaps and happiness–and it's always there for us offering so much more than food, thanks !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan j Wright10 June 2018 at 15:28

      Thanks Michelle. The table is a site for mishaps and memories as you say.

      Delete

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