Monday, December 5, 2011

Too Many Crumbs for a Broom





They linger,
still play in the keys,

stick to my fingers
with marmalade.

I sip coffee impulses,
snack between words

that spill to the desk,
litter the lunchroom

in crossword kisses.
I wear my best

alphabet outfit,
see London, see France,

munch and crunch
the sultry dance,

the sideways glance,
the clickety-clack.




tk/December 2011


Listen to R.A.D. Stainforth's sexy English accent:


Join Magpie Tales creative writing group here.
image: Lunch, George Tooker, 1964, Columbus Museum of Art

61 comments:

  1. Thank you, Tess and RAD, for giving us another great start to a delicious Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, G... always nice to see you at Willow Manor...lovely new profile pic!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Interesting that there is seemingly no interaction between the diners. Each is alone but perhaps they are having a "sideways glance" at their neighbor. Nice post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have always loved this painting and your words are perfect. The painting is so poignant to me...together, yet separate.
    Would like to see your alphabet dress : )

    ReplyDelete
  5. This poem brings life to the mundane...if only the diners could hear you think!

    ReplyDelete
  6. that spill to the desk,
    litter the lunchroom

    in crossword kisses.
    I wear my best


    love the lines, very dark yet wonderful imagery in your words.

    ReplyDelete
  7. a wonderful wistful whisper into my Sunday! nice.

    ReplyDelete
  8. was totally waiting for i see london i see france i see someones underpants...but kinda glad you did not follow that rhyme...smiles....interesting pic this week...have to think today...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Brian, glad you picked up on the reference to the kids' rhyme...

    ReplyDelete
  10. I notice how well the poem and your O. Henry quote fit together. Thanks for the picture, Tess, and your service making this whole thing possible. I am happy to be part of the growth of the site.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The interpretation of the quiet action in the painting has much more meaning now, with your words.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The diners look like something out of '1984' to me - can't imagine as less munchy bunch...♥

    ReplyDelete
  13. I enjoyed reading this Tess ...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Very well done--I like the reference to that childhood "chant" that we used to say when we saw someone's underpants!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Deliciously thought provoking....:-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. There is an infinitely better outlook in your rhymes than in Tucker's "Lunch". I'd rather dance with you, even if only on the keyboard.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I liked pairing my jumpy piece with the somber Tooker...nice juxtaposition...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lunch in the ordinary to casual viewer who can't read thoughts...love it!

    ReplyDelete
  19. R.A.D. ...as always, thank you for this lovely reading...

    ReplyDelete
  20. I enjoyed the poem but the sexy English accent (which I pounced on with joy) eluded me.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rinkly, although R.A.D.'s accent
    is wonderfully British, it is mostly
    sexy in Ohio; elsewhere it is robust,
    audacious, husky with cigarette
    smoke, and always a joy to hear.
    Tess, your poem comes out of
    OH like a Sinclair Lewis nightmare,
    both a paean and a warning. I loved
    it; more so the fourth time I read it,
    looking for the threads of clarity.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What can I say, Tess? You're on fine form, as ever.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You really had me thinking here, I had to do a google search for 'I see London, I see France'.

    ReplyDelete
  24. For me, this surreal poem matches the picture. They both required a trawl through my subconscious but with enough lightness not to depress.

    ReplyDelete
  25. ... this is actually quite sexy, Tess.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks, Helen, that was my intention...

    ReplyDelete
  27. Beautiful sounds in this. Lovely, tight writing.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Enjoyable read, Tess. As always, you have outdone yourself. BTW, LOVE your Facebook badge...

    ReplyDelete
  29. a fun poem, with a nice beat read so well by RAD

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love crossword kisses and the clickety-clack.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Such a great take. I love the clicketyclack and, of course, marmalade. K.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dang computer. Can't hear the audio, but no matter, the piece is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I like how you added dimension and sensuality to Lunch.

    ReplyDelete
  34. You've looked under the surface of these diners' blank exteriors to their hidden thoughts!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Found my way back! Great to be here! A stylishly Tooker painting. I like your poem, even though I'm not astute enough to understand each nuance...

    And...I joined in this time. (Thought I had commented earlier, but it's my crazy, and I have to live with it, or die without it.)

    Thanks for serving each Sunday, Tess.
    PEACE!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Nice to have you join Mag this week, Steve! Thanks, I enjoy doing it...it's my little way of contributing to the creative writing community...

    ReplyDelete
  37. Dear Tess,

    I have promised myself to enjoy poetry even if Ido not have the time to write at the moment.

    And what a find.

    The picture was too sombre for me. But your words - they give the diners an uplift.

    ReplyDelete
  38. This made me think of myself, endlessly playing words with friends like it was eating cake - the very best way to pass my time :)

    ReplyDelete
  39. I confess this one blew right past my comprehension ..but it did however, land right next to understanding
    nice little poem to go with the painting delightful
    and yes, I add my thanks for your
    offering up these thought provoking prompts week after week

    ReplyDelete
  40. Yum marmalade- crossword kisses are interesting- and I would have been cleaning up the crumbs! thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Taken right back to jump rope rhymes before a delicious return to marmalade. Delightful read!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Your poem is a delightful puzzle for me...lovely sounds and contrast to Tooker's depressing painting. Many thanks for the prompts.

    ReplyDelete
  43. The "Clickity-Clack" you can almost feel it snapping away in this poem.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Dear Tess: Love this! We think alike; the sound of cutlery and fingers! Ah-ha! We must have eaten in this very same caf! A most excellent "snack between words" and "crossword kisses" so much fun and very imaginative!

    ReplyDelete
  45. this just made me think of all the crumbs probably stuck in my keyboard for all the snacking I do while writing :) Loved the "see London, see France" reference

    ReplyDelete
  46. Such a lonesome group of people- all together, but all so desperately alone. Very nice post, Tess!

    ReplyDelete
  47. They look so glum - definitely no marmalade on the menu...
    Cardboard sandwiches more like it.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Words and crumbs..can't have one without the other..love the abstract flow!

    ReplyDelete
  49. the title is delicious.... and the rest just sorta brings the broom out sweeping...

    ReplyDelete
  50. Marmalade might have produced some smiles amongst those diners ...
    lovely poem Tess

    ReplyDelete
  51. What's the comment's equivalent of a standing ovation? If I manage to think of one, I'll come back and give it. For now, bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  52. ... the sideways glance.

    So true - scared to venture outside their bubble.

    I went somber - I tired not too... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  53. I am late to arrive, as I have been away. The image seems a bit magical.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Great Write Tess. I like the flow & images. Some great lines too! "Crossword kisses"

    ReplyDelete
  55. I loved that "clickety clack" and can almost hear it throughout the poem. Beautifully done, disturbingly descriptive!

    ReplyDelete
  56. as usual....
    i am blown out of the water with you gift at writing.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  57. i can just see these people lingering, not wanting to get back to work

    ReplyDelete

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)