Christina's Teapot

Andrew Wyeth's painting (1968) "Christina's Teapot"

The only thing that remained

Was the fragile teapot,

Chipped and glued,

Filthy with memories of struggles

And babies born in the bed nearby.

The children raised and gone

Stare over their shoulders

For a lifetime

At shattered pasts.

  

 

Cautious sunlight fell 

From a window broken

On a day long done,

The guilty boot abandoned

As if shame and sorrow lay

In the burnt sienna field of wheat

Where the downward slope of their land

Stretched lazily beyond the door;

Beyond the ruined mantle,

And Christina.

Reviews

[Yira Simone]

This was powerfully written! The imagery was excellent as was the flow. What I loved was that she went through life with that tea pot, worked hard, lived harder, and all she has to show for her dedication to this house, this life is her battered teapot. I gather that teapot has strong sentimental value which is why she has made sure it has endure all this time. This was very good.-Catrina

[Celtic Cat]

Wow, reading this was like being teleported to another place and time. Your words are so powerful and full. Each line brought my feelings closer and closer to the edge and now here I am stuck with them. This is so sad to me....and echoes loudly of good times gone. What a wonderful write!!

[Charles Ferguson]

At shattered pasts. Liked that part. Good depth to it.

[Val]

hi
I've never been to America but this poem makes me think of Westerns and the Mid West, hardship and stoical characters living out their days with steadfast resolve marked by dust and poverty.
As always very moving
Val

[Lydia Shutter]

Intense imagery and emotion....the teapot metaphor is splendid. To be able to write a poem so elegant about a literary masterpiece is to be a talented poet...and you are. Lydia

[Chloe..Across the Unive..]

Very well done.. poignant and sentimental.. a lovely poem..

Chloe
xoxo

[Antony]

This to me reads of a broken woman, she to me is the fragile teapot, chiped and glued. This is a very well written piece, and I guess you may have elaborated on it but the meaning would not have changed.
Tony

[Charlotte Marie]

Beautiful piece! The imagery here is awesome! Thanks for a great read! Charley

[Ebby]

Mimi, you have created a perfect loop around your chosen artwork and a poem of great elegance.
Thank you for entering.
Kindest regards.

[T. L. O'Neal]

I always admired Andrew Wyeth's work and to write a poem about one is a hard task. But I think you pulled it off beautifully. T

[krisliane]

Yeah, beautiful, but i too am wondering about the story behind it, like not quite enough is told. The only thing that's a little distracting is the capitalization at the start of each line instead of each sentence, but maybe there is purpose behind it...