Round as a smiling woman’s cheeks,
stacked and nesting
the colanders spoon in the cupboard.
Indifferent to differences
– the glossy yellow plastic mixing it up
with the gleaming metal –
they share their kitchen tales:

Red strawberries in May,
blue berries from Maine,
arugula and buttery Bibb
and spinach – like the best of men –
strong, yet tender.

The littlest sieve hangs by the sink,
bright and shiny as a child’s face,
freshly washed for Sunday school
of dirt and grit and bugs.
Shaped to hold the best in us,
letting go
of those things best not kept.

– Jane

© 2012 Jane Harkins. All rights reserved.