Praises to the table,
the one our family gathered round.
You held court with meals,
never minded spilled morsels.
Gained rings in the process
from sloppy milk glasses.

You listened without judgement.
Heard the hijinks of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle,
knock-knock jokes, teacher complaints,
family disagreements, high school gossip,
vacation plans, college choice deliberations,
and joyfully sung table graces.

You welcomed guests
who crammed in extra chairs.
More elbows leaning in,
more spills, raucous laughter.
Birthday party guests and gangly teens
who occasionally kicked your legs.

Now in another house
but still in the family,
serving another generation.
From toddlers punching playdough
to kids’ paints slopping on your surface,
you still stand proud after all these years.

Written for day 9, NaPoWriMo. The challenge is to write a poem every day in April, which is National Poetry Writing Month.

The NaPoWriMo challenge today, takes a page from the famous poet Pablo Neruda. His poetry, translated to English, is treasured by many. Among his poetry are a series of Odes. An ode is a poem written in praise of a person, place or object. The challenge today? “Write your own ode celebrating an everyday object.”

Photos are of our family table over the years….could not find any when our kids were infants or toddlers. We sure celebrated many a birthday at this table! The table has been at our daughter’s home since her children were very young. They grew up at the same table their mama and uncle did. Last two photos are of our daughter’s and son’s children sitting at the table in more recent years.