CRACKED PLATE:

Upon that old dresser of forgotten china & glass,

Once belonging to my Grandma, now gone & past,

Now all going to charities, the dump or jumble sale,

Sadly forgotten, crushed into dust & windswept shale.

But please spare me one item, that old cracked plate,

That one standing all alone & having lost all its mates,

Through years of family life, of droppings & errant crash,

The old cracked plate, the last one that wasn´t smashed.

That old plate, of childhood & warm baked cookies placed,

By Grandma, & upon crochet doily, dainty & softly laced,

On cold winter nights, fresh crumpets & hot buttered toast,

Set upon that old plate, the memories I now treasure most.

That old cracked plate, of patterned curling ivy & faded rose,

Forgotten now upon the dusty shelf, in sad & faded repose,

I shall take that plate along with memories, home with me,

Where Grandma & I, upon old plate, shall have a memory tea.