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| Red abalone shell with pearls (1913), Popular Science Monthly Volume 82 |
The stainless steel fork on my porch
gets flatter and fatter each week.
They forgot to soak the entire
cabbage to drive out living worms.
I don’t remember why it is
so urgent to capture this poem.
I said to myself: Now.
Now!
Do.
It. Now. I have fork and cabbage.
Oh! Crisp autumnal air lifts me—
Oh! I crave coffee and apples.
Cinnamon. Pie crust and pumpkins.
Mulled cider. Wooden spoons. Sweet aches.
Diabetic, I count sugars
and cholesterol but not smell.
They can’t take that away—scents and
memories fading out like ghosts—
Irritations fading in like
concrete forks and cabbage worms.Copyright © 2014 S.L.Chast
mmm...thank goodness they can not take the smells away....there are no calories in smells right? ha. autumn is def here...and glorious...and bringing with it plenty of ghosts...
ReplyDeletewoops cabbage worms!!!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this! "I have fork and cabbage." and then the fading like cabbage worms. Cool write!
ReplyDeleteNow! Now! Do it now! ... Why do we do this to ourselves?
ReplyDeleteOh, in that autumnal air I crave apples and cinnamon and pumpkin too! But I hope the cabbage worms stay away!
ReplyDeleteI like the sweet autumn you evoke in your poem, especially apples and cinnamon. Fortunately there are ways to eat the two that do not involve too much sugar. Not so sure I like the cabbage as much>
ReplyDeleteuh uh...Now will never come...ha....it's much better to soak in the crisp autumnal air..
ReplyDeletehmmm....apples and cinnamon... sometimes the smell is just enough... glad they cannot take it away... my mom used her sense of smell a few years ago - and that is quite tough
ReplyDeleteIt is important to capture poems even though you don't even understand them yourself. Nothing is worse than to formulate the words in your mind and then find they have escaped by the time you want to write them down. It's autumn and you are gathering supplies for winter.
ReplyDeleteI'm lost. But I think it smelled good.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why there's a fork on your porch. But I get the poem. I'm glad too that they can't take away the smells. I've been battling with diabetes. I let go of many tastes for the benefit of my health. Luckily, check up last week put me on a normal sugar level. But I must just keep smelling not tasting.
ReplyDeletemmm such sweet taste :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they could take the smell away.. so sad when we cannot enjoy the full bounty of the harvest.
ReplyDeleteI love this Susan--its urgency and its life!
ReplyDeletea lovely poetry written in urgency!! how beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNow, now, do it now...what we have to do..we must do at right hour ...nice poem Susan...:-)
ReplyDeleteThat drive to do is both a curse and a blessing. In this case I would say it worked out well, great poem.
ReplyDeleteFragrance a wonderful gift, how it lights up our memory circuits with gratitude for all that we can experience fully!
ReplyDeleteI took a long walk today and I could smell autumn in the air..it just has that soothing scent.
ReplyDeleteNot much beauty in a life of forks and cabbage worms.This is when the arts and creativity can transform things.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful. And heartfelt. Thank heavens they can't take everything away. What would the world be like without the scent of cinnamon and apples to feast on? Loved this, Susan.
ReplyDeleteA very fun discursive poem that makes us sit up and take notice. Thanks. K.
ReplyDelete"They can't take [smell] away" Ha! Clever. I enjoyed this poem.
ReplyDelete