"The Kitchen Table" by Samantha Merzel

"The Kitchen Table"

Standing here, beside you, Pain strikes my heart And sorrow fills my soul As I sympathize for all you have been through. You have the anatomy of an empty grave slot Waiting for a coffin to fulfill its void for all eternity. But for you, Your void remains as vacant as the bellies That sit besides you when they are crying in hunger. Just as their crying bellies, Your emptiness is only fulfilled temporarily. Some days, they dress you In daisy-woven and sunlight stained fabrics To hide the cavernous scars That they brought upon on. On other days, they leave you naked. Forcing you to hold their shallow porcelain disks With burning bottoms Along with their heavy goblets With forceful aromas, Never thinking about the burns or bruises these deeds bring to your bare skin. The four-legged sculptures that press against you Disrespect the rules of personal space And let out groans when they are pulled away from you. Only once in a while are you shown appreciation, When you are sprinkled with cozy chemicals That awakens the shine that was taken away from you. But it won’t last for too long Because soon the four wooden pillars that bear your very being Will become too weak and give out. Soon your shine will go into an everlasting slumber, And you will realize; All the burns you swallowed, All the wine spills you endured, All the laughter they shared with you, And all the memories they made with you Shaped your very being But meant nothing to them. Because you are just a kitchen table, Taking on as many plates as they want you to handle, but never thinking of yourself.

Drawing by L.L.L