Rediscovering the 'Me' in 'Mumeeeeeee'

'I have always thought that there is no more fruitful source of family discontent than a housewife’s badly-cooked dinners and untidy ways'. (Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1861)

October 22, 2009

Ode to the kitchen table

Kitchen table, kitchen table,
How do you remain so stable?
Through it all, the spills, the mess,
You are my rock, I must confess.

There to greet me as a new day dawns
I sit by your side and tiredly yawn.
You’ve seen it all – the laughs the tears
My constant companion these past five years.

I grip you when I’m on the verge,
When the tears and frustration start to surge.
You help me count from one to ten
Until I finally feel calm again.

Sometimes you share a party with glamour and fuss
But often it is just the two of us,
As I sweep around your splattered legs
Gathering peas and crusts of bread.

I tidy endless meals away
And crafty things from an hour of play.
But sometimes I make you look really fine
With candles and napkins and bottles of wine.

Kitchen table you’ve seen it all,
You’ve watched me rise, you’ve watched me fall.
You’re just about perfect (apart from the mark on one edge)
I keep you shiny with a quick squirt of Pledge.

We spend a lot of time together, you and me
Usually at breakfast, dinner and tea.
You watch as I coax the children to eat,
And sigh as I sweep their dinner from under your feet.

Kitchen table, friend of mine
So much more than a place to sit and dine.
So, I raise my mug and my slice of toast,
See you at the weekend for a Sunday roast.

Inspired by the excellent Josie at Sleep Is For The Weak who hosts a fabulous weekly Writing Workshop. Her prompt to look at, and write about, a room in your house led me to the kitchen table!







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14 comments:

  1. I am loving your ode to the kitchen table! Fantastic! xxx

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  2. Oh I love it, I love it! great poem. I'm off to write myself one... watch my blog :-)
    Sarah

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  3. Fabulous!! (as always)

    I am green with envy as much at your fantastic rhyming prowess as I am at your rather gorgeous kitchen!!

    x

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  4. Thanks you all for lovely comments. Ooops - should probably have pointed out that this is NOT a picture of my kitchen. If only....!!!!!

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  5. Brilliant poem. Loved it.

    Wish that table was mine too.

    :)

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  6. There's something about a kitchen table: meals, homework, family conflabs, flights of creative fancy... they see it all. Well worth commemorating in verse.

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  7. How many chairs you got there? How many kids you got?

    Yee gods woman.....thats a lot of cooking!

    RMxx

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  8. Brilliant ode, I love it. I'm shocked that the picture is not your actual kitchen table though, maybe Hot Cross Mum towers has one more grandiose than that? We've got a cheapy one from IKEA.

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  9. Simply brilliant. I would never have thought of the kitchen table as so inspirational!

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  10. You mean that is not your actual kitchen. Im shocked and jealous at how good you are at writing :)

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  11. love it - but would now like to see a pic of your actual kitchen table!

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  12. OK, OK - I will rectify this dreadful oversight and will post a picture of my actual kitchen table very soon. Prepare to be disappointed! Thank you all for your lovely comments on the poem. The table is feeling very loved at the moment!

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  13. I've just found your blog today and I love it, I'm following now so I'll be back (as Arnie said)
    x

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