Minor Miracles

[Tiger the Lion]

Minor Miracles

I spill coffee
a little too close
to my laptop
and panic.
 
It's a miracle
there's paper towel handy,
but for a moment
the pooling brown
reminds me of the Tohoku tsunami
and a Japanese girl I used to love
who made it real for me.
 
One spring morning she made me a swan
from pretty purple paper.
(Try keeping that in a safe place.)
 
Before I lose everything
I pat the paper to the puddle
and toss the spent towel on the table.
 
I know nothing of origami,
but I'll be damned
if it's not the image
of a chocolate Easter bunny.

[Achebe]

Opens up beautifully at 'pooling brown'. Loved the understated menace in 'made it real for me.'
The ending seems arbitrary, but it's only 'for fun', so I'm not complaining.

[Tiger the Lion]

Opens up beautifully at 'pooling brown'. Loved the understated menace in 'made it real for me.'
The ending seems arbitrary, but it's only 'for fun', so I'm not complaining.

You're right. It's funny the ending seems arbitrary - that's the way it actually happened. The rest is me making associations. 
Paul

[ellajam]

I liked the end, the memory of the meticulous purple swan sparking the crumpled easter bunny. For me it says alot about how train of thought that includes the past can bring us to looking at today differently.

Too deep?

[sithcat]

I like the line "Try keeping that in a safe place." I read it as sarcasm, like something you would say after a scoff. But you can also read it as an off hand remark like, "well, I try keeping that in a safe place." Either way it's a good line. I do love poems about our trains of thought. I often forget people aren't in my head and start conversations in the middle of thoughts like these. Thank you for sharing!

[Tiger the Lion]

Thank you Ella and Sithcat. Not a real serious piece, I am just trying to get warmed up for NaPM by writing something everyday. That's why it's in "fun". You should join us for NaPM sithcat. Whatever level you're at. We need you!
Paul