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
Thank you, Tess and RAD, for giving us another great start to a delicious Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThanks, G... always nice to see you at Willow Manor...lovely new profile pic!
ReplyDeleteInteresting 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.
ReplyDeleteCrumbs!
ReplyDeleteHave always loved this painting and your words are perfect. The painting is so poignant to me...together, yet separate.
ReplyDeleteWould like to see your alphabet dress : )
This poem brings life to the mundane...if only the diners could hear you think!
ReplyDeletethat spill to the desk,
ReplyDeletelitter the lunchroom
in crossword kisses.
I wear my best
love the lines, very dark yet wonderful imagery in your words.
a wonderful wistful whisper into my Sunday! nice.
ReplyDeletewas 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...
ReplyDeleteBrian, glad you picked up on the reference to the kids' rhyme...
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteThe interpretation of the quiet action in the painting has much more meaning now, with your words.
ReplyDeleteThe diners look like something out of '1984' to me - can't imagine as less munchy bunch...♥
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this Tess ...
ReplyDeleteVery well done--I like the reference to that childhood "chant" that we used to say when we saw someone's underpants!
ReplyDeleteDeliciously thought provoking....:-)
ReplyDeleteThere 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.
ReplyDeleteI liked pairing my jumpy piece with the somber Tooker...nice juxtaposition...
ReplyDeleteLunch in the ordinary to casual viewer who can't read thoughts...love it!
ReplyDeleteR.A.D. ...as always, thank you for this lovely reading...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the poem but the sexy English accent (which I pounced on with joy) eluded me.
ReplyDeleteRinkly, although R.A.D.'s accent
ReplyDeleteis 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.
What can I say, Tess? You're on fine form, as ever.
ReplyDeleteYou really had me thinking here, I had to do a google search for 'I see London, I see France'.
ReplyDeleteFor me, this surreal poem matches the picture. They both required a trawl through my subconscious but with enough lightness not to depress.
ReplyDelete... this is actually quite sexy, Tess.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen, that was my intention...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sounds in this. Lovely, tight writing.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable read, Tess. As always, you have outdone yourself. BTW, LOVE your Facebook badge...
ReplyDeletea fun poem, with a nice beat read so well by RAD
ReplyDeleteI love crossword kisses and the clickety-clack.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great take. I love the clicketyclack and, of course, marmalade. K.
ReplyDeleteDang computer. Can't hear the audio, but no matter, the piece is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGreat depth in those words.
ReplyDeleteI like how you added dimension and sensuality to Lunch.
ReplyDeleteYou've looked under the surface of these diners' blank exteriors to their hidden thoughts!
ReplyDeleteFound 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...
ReplyDeleteAnd...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!
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...
ReplyDeleteDear Tess,
ReplyDeleteI 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.
This made me think of myself, endlessly playing words with friends like it was eating cake - the very best way to pass my time :)
ReplyDeleteI confess this one blew right past my comprehension ..but it did however, land right next to understanding
ReplyDeletenice 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
Yum marmalade- crossword kisses are interesting- and I would have been cleaning up the crumbs! thanks.
ReplyDeleteTaken right back to jump rope rhymes before a delicious return to marmalade. Delightful read!
ReplyDeleteYour poem is a delightful puzzle for me...lovely sounds and contrast to Tooker's depressing painting. Many thanks for the prompts.
ReplyDeleteThe "Clickity-Clack" you can almost feel it snapping away in this poem.
ReplyDeleteDear 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!
ReplyDeletethis 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
ReplyDeleteSuch a lonesome group of people- all together, but all so desperately alone. Very nice post, Tess!
ReplyDeleteThey look so glum - definitely no marmalade on the menu...
ReplyDeleteCardboard sandwiches more like it.
Words and crumbs..can't have one without the other..love the abstract flow!
ReplyDeletethe title is delicious.... and the rest just sorta brings the broom out sweeping...
ReplyDeleteMarmalade might have produced some smiles amongst those diners ...
ReplyDeletelovely poem Tess
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... the sideways glance.
ReplyDeleteSo true - scared to venture outside their bubble.
I went somber - I tired not too... ;)
Crumbs!
ReplyDeleteLoved the sounds in this poem.
ReplyDeleteI am late to arrive, as I have been away. The image seems a bit magical.
ReplyDeleteGreat Write Tess. I like the flow & images. Some great lines too! "Crossword kisses"
ReplyDeleteI loved that "clickety clack" and can almost hear it throughout the poem. Beautifully done, disturbingly descriptive!
ReplyDeleteas usual....
ReplyDeletei am blown out of the water with you gift at writing.
xx
i can just see these people lingering, not wanting to get back to work
ReplyDelete