Keys and mail
Placed gently on the dining table;
The sound of metal on wood
Catches my attention
And my mind gets caught up in a wave.
I remember buying that table,
Our first significant purchase for our home.
The mosaic in the center –
Eye catching,
we quickly agreed it was the one!
My heart catches –
How can I not remember
The last meal we shared at the table?
I remember our weekend waffles
And chickpea curry
A Thanksgiving dinner
And so many other meals
Imbued with love
Served on the dark brown surface –
But I cannot remember our last.
Once
Or maybe twice
We caught Elvis the beagle standing
The table underfoot.
We chased him off,
His tail tucked under.
We may not have eaten at our table
As often as we felt we should,
But I loved our table,
A centerpiece in the living space
A place to gather.
We have matching pieces
In the living room –
The coffee, side, and mail tables,
All with that beautiful mosaic.
It matches the couch you contributed
From your old apartment,
the art we bought together,
And the coat rack bench I contributed.
Some days I touch the mosaic,
I remember that the chemo center
Also had an identical matching side table.
At the time we chuckled –
Now I wish they’d left our mosaic
Just for us.