The Napkin
You threw me away
A napkin used to clean the corners of your mouth
I thought the touch of your lips against my parched hunger
Would bring me life
But you only wanted to clean your lips
And toss me into the garbage
So that you could forget
Your teeth are crooked too.
Ouch. I had to read it through several times to let it sink in before I realized that most of us have treated an individual(s) in this way, at some time, in one way or another, in our lives. There are hundreds of different ways this scenario could be played out. Thanks for this, Skip.
Therapy?
For who?
I will re-name you-
“The Princess Napkin”
–
Humm.?
As I read, I wondered, “How might this read if the napkin were cloth?”
Even more wasteful.
ESAU
quick
not chosen
might hunter
provider
cheated
reconciled
but not Israel
always Esau
betrayed with a goatskin
turned out to dry wadis
and brown hills
You are a modern day psalmist. King David would have loved this!
Glad you appreciated it. Wrote it YEARS ago during some very dark times.
This made me smile… and thinking on it, made me realize we have all been the ‘napkin’. Thrown away, used up, disregarded… my oh my, the list goes on. In my youth, 50’s, we didn’t have those paper/throwaways in my home. Used those ‘cloth’ things… use/wash/use/wash. Oh, forgot, had to iron them too (wrinkles not allowed). Looking back at the care taken with ‘napkins’, perhaps that was a very tiny ‘act’ to show the regard for the small and mostly ignored details of life. Won’t look at a ‘napkin’ the same again. Still smiling.
And I think this perspective is an aspect of what I was wondering, Lucille, when I pondered “if the napkin were cloth” above. Reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, restore, re…
Noticed your comment Leslee… made me look back in time. Grateful to revisit such wonderous years. Forgot to add to the post… we all have crooked teeth (guilty as charged). Still smiling.
Are you depressed ?
Paul says it is what comes out of the heart of a man that defiles him. Meaning the demons influence us and then we spew it all out. Interesting poem though. We can do this to each other if not careful to love not just take.
Blessings for a better day.