kitchenette building
We are things of dry hours and the involuntary plan,
Grayed in, and gray. “Dream” makes a giddy sound, not strong
Like “rent,” “feeding a wife,” “satisfying a man.”
But could a dream send up through onion fumes
Its white and violet, fight with fried potatoes
And yesterday’s garbage ripening in the hall,
Flutter, or sing an aria down these rooms
Even if we were willing to let it in,
Had time to warm it, keep it very clean,
Anticipate a message, let it begin?
We wonder. But not well! not for a minute!
Since Number Five is out of the bathroom now,
We think of lukewarm water, hope to get in it.
Gwendolyn Brooks, “kitchenette building” from Selected Poems. Copyright © 1963 by Gwendolyn
Brooks. Reprinted with the permission of the Estate of Gwendolyn Brooks.
I heard a reference to this poem by Gwendolyn Brooks this morning (Sunday, 01/09/2011) on Krista Tippett's show "Being". Her guest was Elizabeth Alexander, who wrote the poem "Praise Song for the Day" for the Presidential Inauguration of Obama. The minute I heard Alexander reference the poem I remembered that yesterday I had taken a shot of the onions I had just chopped for our dinner.... and so I decided to post that poem along with my onions pic for the 365 entry for Saturday.
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