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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Scissors and Knives for Magpie Tales

Magpie Tales 19   Please visit the Magpie site to view the image prompt for which this was written and to see what others wrote.  This is a previously published poem  but it when I saw the prompt, it came into my mind and didn't leave.




Scissors and Knives



Young unblinking eyes
brand me a stranger
in that Frankfurt square
where shawled women
walk with unwrapped bread
and fabric bags of produce.
Outside a temporary rental
my landlord bends to clip the grass
with scissors used to trim his beard,
the same tool splits domestic hare
into Sunday night's entree.
Germans have shears
and a war bunker up the street;
the Swiss have army knives.



  Watercolor created on Bamboo Fun Tablet with Adobe Photoshop Elements.
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21 comments:

b+ (Retire In Style Blog) said...

I saw this on your twitter post. I actually can see this image in my minds eye and feel the looks received by any stranger in such a place...I have been there.

b

Everyday Goddess said...

the descriptiveness makes me feel like i've been there! wow!

Stafford Ray said...

Yes indeed. The kids don't mind staring and the old German with the multi purpose shears! OMG!

00dozo said...

Very descriptive in so few words. Nice!

Anonymous said...

Bravo...I can picture the landlord clipping the grass with scissors.... blessings...bkm

Tess Kincaid said...

Wonderful! And that last line sums it up so nicely.

Sue J said...

Great Magpie. I have a Swiss army knife - very handy.

Stan Ski said...

You got all this from the knife?
What great imagination!

Gabriela Abalo said...

a great take!!

loveNlight
Gabi

Karen S said...

So descriptive -- the manicured lawn "outside a temporary rental" -- love all the "uses" for a knife...!

Brian Miller said...

wonderful magpie...the mix of images...with the neighbor and then into the germans and swiss...nice...

Marianne said...

Beautiful descriptions in this piece! You have managed to say a lot using very few words.

Words A Day said...

Great last two lines! and the landlord cutting grass and his hair, I liked that detail.

Unknown said...

the apex of a utilitarian existence .... no need to run to walmart for a new gadget

RA said...

I loved the life sizzling in every word. :)

Anonymous said...

You have such a strong attention to detail it blows me away. The women in shawls with their unwrapped bread and their fabric bags. You make things so real I can almost taste them. Outstanding!

Paul C said...

One gets a cold feeling about all those knives. Well done.

Aoife.Troxel said...

The imagery was so vivid and told a wonderful story that I could relate to somehow.

brenda w said...

This is an excellent snapshot. You evoke a real sense of place for the reader. It works so well to use the shears for rabbit, beard and grass. Clever well crafted Magpie!

~T~ said...

A fitting snippet of life. Lovely!

Uma Anandane said...

Lovely poem!