Tottering teacups, stacked saucers and salad plates,
dinner plates and platters, precariously positioned
in crowded cupboards:
badges of honor for the collector.
I didn't start like this; I have accumulated--
a grandmother's silver, her lovely china,
some etched goblets, a mother's hollowware,
a wedding-gift tray.
More place settings, more crystal
hiding in dark cupboards: the silver,
the pewter, the china, these sine qua nons
of gracious lives that preceded ours.
People entertained, back then--
with damask tablecloths and napkins
and dinner was more than a paper-plated
offering from a grill.
Conversations trumped texts.
The pace was slower, the world was kinder,
and we knew what it was like
to be ourselves.
