I sit in bed with my reading pillow
and my lap desk, my laptop nearby
iced tea on my bedside table
okay, just a splash of sweet tea
and then water to fill the glass
edged in blue at the top
a Lego knight on horseback
that my sons made for me
he guards my books
stacks of them on the table
and on the floor along with CDs
I’m ripping onto iTunes
three frames on the walls
each on a different wall
one of my wife and I
on our first trip to Vegas
where we’d later marry
it was taken in a photo booth
but looks like a pen and ink
sketch by Rembrandt
one a watercolor of cherry blossoms
painted by my mother
the last a picture I took
of our firstborn the first week
we lived in this house
it’s not even a photograph
it’s a digital snapshot
my wife printed out at work
on a color printer on plain paper
we were so broke then
having just paid first and last
and the security deposit
beneath the watercolor a coffee table
long ago removed from the living room
as we baby-proofed the new house
now a permanent fixture in our bedroom
where stands the Tiffany lamp
that was my grandmother’s
an heirloom left to me
in my father’s will
safe from boys who are not allowed
to play in our bedroom
even when I’m alone in here
reading, listening to music,
or writing a poem
I’m surrounded by my family
/ / /
This poem was written to the Write here, now prompt at We Write Poems. Thanks to Pamela for the prompt.
This is testament to the love you hold for family. You and they are blessed with each other. Thank goodness for that Lego knight keeping guard over all that love. 🙂
Brenda, thank you. I like that little Lego knight.
Richard
Richard, this is reminiscent of the love you have for your family. I have enjoyed going into each person’s private writing space. Nice one.
Pamela
Pamela, thank you – and thanks again for the prompt. I too enjoyed seeing everyone’s writing space.
Richard
Can one be measured by the memories they cherish? I believe they can. This tells much about you, you grow in the telling.
Mike, thank you. I believe they can too. It’s not only what we do and say, but what we hold dear in our hearts.
Richard
I really enjoyed this one.
I like the new look 🙂
Tilly, thank you.
Yeah, I like this new template.
Richard
I agree with Pamela on both counts, but it is the seeing of each other in our spaces that will enrich the cyber bond amongst this writing community. Each time I see a name, I now have a place, an environment, for that person. I love that.
My favourite detail is the Lego knight.
margo
Margo, thank you. I hadn’t thought about that. You’re right – we each have a visual now of the places each other writes in. It will enrich our bond. Yeah, that Lego knight is special.
Richard
A stream of visually connected personal items, poetically glued by the memories and personal details they rekindled in you. It’s like seeing through your eyes, briefly and well.
And your response, kshawnedgar, is a poem in itself. Beautifully stated.
~Paula
Paula, I agree.
Richard
kshawnedgar, thank you for your kind and thoughtful words.
Richard
To be surrounded by such love…beautiful.
I enjoyed the small details you chose to include–like the blue rim on the glass. The picture printed on plain paper. And of course the Lego knight. Really a beautifully-crafted piece, Richard.
~Paula
Paula, thank you. It’s just what I saw as I looked around. It was an enjoyable discovery/reminder about my surroundings. it was a good exercise in what to include and what to leave out.
Richard
Ahh… a true gem. I not only admire the vivid imagery, but also the homey, warm tone that matches the prompt. For some reason this really stands out as a testiment of love:
it was taken in a photo booth
but looks like a pen and ink
sketch by Rembrandt
Laurie, thank you so much. I’m glad to hear that the tone comes through like that. It stands out for me too; it was the first picture we hung in the new house.
Richard
There’s a genuine warmth about this one, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 😀
MiskMask, thank you. I’m glad that the warmth shines through.
Richard