February 21, 2014
This week in an attempt to embrace creativity, I subscribed to Poets & Writers, The Time is Now.
Their poetry prompt for this week is as follows:
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is famous for his wonderful odes to unexpected subjects. "Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market" and "Ode to an Artichoke" celebrate items we might not typically expect to hear lauded. This week, write an ode to a household object. Try to come up with as many epithets and images for the item as you can.
Deciding to take them up on their prompt, perhaps I diverged a bit off the beaten path and into forbidden topics with this particular ode. My intention is not to offend, but it is the very first object that popped into my mind, so I decided to explore it.
“Ode to a Toilet”
I
Alabaster basin
Porcelain recipient
Of human evacuation
I take comfort in my descent
Toward your yet unsullied water
Great vessel supported by a single foot
I pay homage as a humble squatter
And am quite perturbed when you are caput
II
Privately I cherish you
With endearments like “the office”
And an affection aggravated by fondue
I lock the door ever cautious
Lest intruders uncover our affair
I grow envious of households with more than two
Humans who never have to share
I wonder how many survive with so few
III
Publicly we disguise our intent
I politely search the WC or Powder Room out
As to your place you keep me in torment
Alas I find you and your door sign does tout
“Open to One and All”
Villain I must often even pay for your use
Quick is my withdrawal
From your tainted ruse
