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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Of Tea and Names

"Teatime" from Ella's Edge
The day she couldn't find her name
started out like any other day
She made the coffee
kissed the husband
sent the kids off to school
and then realized it was missing

At first she thought she had simply left it
with the car keys
but no

She searched under the newspaper
in her coat pockets
and sweater drawer
even in the trashcan
but it wasn't anywhere

She tried to remember the last time
she had seen it
It was some time between her wedding 
and the last time she had finished a cup of tea
while it was still warm

"If I were a name, where would I be?"
she said to herself
then searched the dryer 
and found three lost socks
but no name

She considered taking out an ad
but couldn't decide on an appropriate reward
for finding a name
or, for that matter, how she could be sure
she would recognize it as hers 
and didn't want to take in the wrong one

After some thought 
she decided she needed a new name
The old one probably didn't fit any way

She began her search for a name
right after she brewed a pot of tea
and finished an entire cup

11 comments:

Mimi Foxmorton said...

You really ARE Alice!
:)
xoxo

Trellissimo said...

I think many ladies could identify with this! :)

JustRex said...

Let's hope she gets inspired by something warm and comfy like Chamomile. How'd you like to come home from work and discover your wife had named herself "Constant Comment?"

Brian Miller said...

smiles....very nice...to lose ones name...or one step further the identity is easy to do caught up in the day to day...in a metaphorical sense this makes a great story that i think several would relate to...

hedgewitch said...

Great way to look at the lostness that can overtake us when we find ourselves in a situation that has changed around us, and changed us with it. I like the oblique angle you took, with no overt references--much more effective to show than say, and you have that down here. Good stuff, LM.

Kerry O'Connor said...

This says a lot about a woman's search for identity among all the roles she has to play out day by day.

BB said...

I love this. I can relate. For years I thought my name was "Hey Mom"

CC Champagne said...

This is just simply so beautiful! What an amazing idea!!! Brilliant!!!

Ella said...

Lola, I enjoyed your take on the prompt~
How our soul's essences gets lost among the stirrings of life~
Our identity continues to change, almost as much as all the choices of tea ;D

Fireblossom said...

As someone who legally changed her name a decade ago, you know I like this!

not displayed said...

this was me.