Possible Punishment
Come over.
I will take out the best china,
The one you gave me as a present
Precisely twenty-five years ago
The one I had placed in the cupboard made of rosewood
To remind me of the frailty of men’s promises…
…carried by wind…
by carelessness and immaturity…
But, do come over.
I will place all six cups on the table neatly as follows:
One for you,
One for me,
One for your daughter,
One for my daughter, and the two remaining, for their future daughters
And the frail possibility of their future friendship…
….carried by wind…
by unreasonable expectations and the improbability of the universe’s
mathematical accuracy in calculating the events of their possible meeting
Oh, your daughter has china-like skin
And mine has eyes as dark as yours and a singing voice which could
Brake the finest china only if she lets it out to cry.
…but she never did…she never does…
And if it ever happens that you catch my thoughts with your mind, interpret my invitation only as a yearning of your soul who has matured late…
…discard it…
Sydney 15 May 2011
Very honest poem…somewhere deep inside we do want to punish those who have hurt us… beautifully crafted.
Branka, I echo the response of Irina. Very well done, indeed.
“…And if it ever happens that you catch my thoughts with your mind, interpret my invitation only as a yearning of your soul who has matured late…
…discard it…” beautiful, plus – what a fine way to punish someone: elegant, cheeky and smart. I loved the poem as always.
It is beautifully crafted, Branka plays with words skillfully and originally. Her poems are, for me, beautiful little stories, they have the beginning, middle and the end and they ask for more. This poem has left me with a feeling of sweet nostalgia to linger around long after reading it.