Friendly
The friendly way to explain the missing punch bowl
Is to assume you loaned it to someone
Who, by the time he thought of returning it,
Had lost his job and moved to another city
And loaned it to the hostess of a charity ball
Who forgot the person she borrowed it from.
As for the intention to fetch it back,
It may have been shoved aside by more pressing issues,
Like sickness, like facing his end
Without regret for projects left unfinished.
So the bowl sits in a bin in the charity basement
Still waiting to reclaimed, just like the plate
Somebody brought to a party of yours
And never called for. Beautiful cut glass
You’ve kept safe in a drawer, unused,
To dream of the place where it was treasured.
It would be a friendly gesture now
To lift it out of the dark into the open.
Friendly to say to any guest
Who casts an appreciative glance in its direction,
“If it looks like yours, you should take it home.”
-Carl Dennis (From The Atlantic Fiction 2010)
The above photo is from Amber
amber
3
This poem reminds of the way our different silverware patterns have mingled in each others drawers over the years. It makes me a little sad that i don’t think I have any of your silverware anymore!
Beth Johnson
3
I love that picture and this poem. Brought a smile to my face. Thank you. Good to hear your voice. Have missed you. Peace and blessings and love to your family. B