Several years ago, my mother-in-law gave me her mother’s antique chicken and rooster set. If my memory serves me correctly, she said they came from Germany. I fell in love with them immediately and put them on a kitchen shelf (as my kitchen has always been decorated with reds). For 25 years these “love birds” have sat in my home and who knows how many years they’ve been listening in on family stories. I like to think they secretly communicate with each other and tell each other all sorts of wonderful family stories.
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| Grandma Heisler’s red chicken & rooster. |
Storytellers
You sit
silently
on my shelf
Yet, you know
a thousand stories
you could tell
I wish
you could talk
to me
Instead,
you silently communicate
with each other
Red Rooster
Red Chicken
Family friends
Today’s
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Oh, what fun little friends of a feather. I'll bet they wish they could tell YOU stories too. It looks like they are keeping things between the beaks, though. Maybe at night, or when you aren't listening they aren't silent.....hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI'm enchanted by these love birds! If these birds could talk... lots of material there!
ReplyDeleteI love to think of these 'love birds' eavesdropping on your life. Thanks for sharing their 'story'. :)
ReplyDeleteHa! Those two eavesdroppers. It's fun to imagine them discussing family business. They might know more than you do. What a fun post!
ReplyDeleteAmy, your post raises the eternal question -do objects have memories. This was something American poet, Patricia McKissack explored at one point. you alert each of us to the various artifacts and mementoes sitting around our houses. It causes us to ponder the same question you posed to the antique chickens. Thank you for reminding me of the need to revisit the stories bound up in these objects we hold and treasure.
ReplyDeleteI love the succinct wonder of this poem, Amy!
ReplyDeleteYour chicken and rooster are charming, and I love that your poem is full of wonder about their long lives in your family's kitchens. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete