The Table

We got a good deal for our table

and it was even delivered to us

It’s solid and if you bang your knee against

the inside frame just under the table top

you’ll swear you hate the thing.

The top needs refinishing, but

we leave it.

And it’s scratched and stained,

and losing a little color each day.

I sometimes fuss when someone 

doesn’t use a coaster, but why bother?

The kids say it adds character.

And it does.

There’s space for 6 or 8 or 12 or more.

We manage to squeeze ourselves in

when friends and family visit.

It’s held up well with gallons of Watco oil

First big party might have been a birthday

and then countless events hosted

at this table. Many more birthdays

Fondu parties, paella gatherings, 

Tortilla making lessons, homemade pizzas.

so many pizzas, all leaving marks on the table. 

Plenty of spilled bowls of Cheerios,

5 layer Play-Doh cakes leaving colors in the grain

And the Mixology experiments!

Cranberry margaritas, strawberry mojitos,

and the good crystal bubbling with cheap champagne.

A red tablecloth, a happy Santa, unmatched platters

adorn the end of a fancy Christmas buffet. 

Just the right height for wrapping presents

And hours of Homework-the kids’ and mine.

Days of grad school assignments,

Science fair and craft projects

Family game nights, family meetings

Asking for and giving grace.

Our hearts gather around this table

where we live and breath,

hope and dream.

And sometimes,

we eat here, too.