Out Potted

 My father loved his toothpicks and my mother loved her plants,

I know these things seem diff’rent as can be. Yes, this, I’ll grant,

But here, they go together in a tale both fun—and short,

Though it includes some laziness…and slow death of a sort…

My mom had read that healthy plants from pineapples could grow,

By lopping off the tops and planting them in soil just so,

And so she tried it and viola! her pineapple grew strong,

Three times she had to re-pot it. (It didn’t take that long!)

And so it stood there proud and lush in a pot by Daddy’s chair,

Totally within arm’s reach—three feet from his…derriere.

One day, my mama noticed that her plant was looking grim,

The leaves were growing yellow and the shine was getting dim,

She fussed and fussed about her ‘child’, gave nutrients and such,

But all her fussing did not seem to help it very much.

Now Dad would sit enjoying after-dinner toothpicks (Yum?)

Chewing them to sawdust, indistinguishable from gum,

He’d hand them to an unsuspecting child who happened by,

To throw into the garbage, claiming they were much more spry,

But when no child appeared to take his little ball of ‘ick’,

He looked around to find a place to toss it, neat and quick,

And what was near whose shaggy leaves could hide his sorry deed?

Yes, Mother’s plant. Perhaps (who knew?) on sawdust it could feed?

So through those months, Dad’s toothpicks turned my mom’s plant into dust,

Maybe blocking nutrients. (Or reacting from disgust.)

It fin’lly died, was buried in the compost out in back,

Mom tried again a time or two, but never got the knack,

So I’ve one question for you all, and toothpicks, it’s about…

What’s in those beggers that we daily put into our mouths?

Cause Mondays do get knocked a lot,
With poetry, we all besought
To try to make the week begin
With gentle thoughts,
Perhaps a grin?
So Karen, Charlotte, Mimi, me
Have crafted poems for you to see.
And now you’ve read what we have wrought…
Did we help?
Or did we not?

We will be back in seven days

Talking about our muffin craze!

Thinking of joining us for Poetry Monday?

We'd love to welcome you!
Topics for the next few weeks (with a huge thank-you to Mimi, who comes up with so many of them!)...

Poinsettia -or- Potted Plants (December 12) Today!

Muffins (December 19)

Candy Canes (December 26)

Treasure (January 2)

Stuffed animals (January 9)

Get lost (January 16)

Clocks (January 23)

Time (January 30)