Beautiful Cup

author's note:

I was reading the dictionary.  I thought it was a poem about everything.
                -- Steven Wright


BEAUTIFUL CUP

As I lift the porcelain cup
I hardly notice
the delicate pattern
of flowing green vines
dotted
with little pink roses

no--
my eye goes straight to the place on the lip
where I glued back the chip
after the accident:

despite the solid patch
I can still see a thin nervous line
a downward arc.

A lovely cup ruined
but no--

before the break
it was pretty, yes
but also: pretty mundane...
boring.

Now the cup wears a distinctive mark--
beautiful to me because
I'm reminded of the beauty of all those
who work so hard to heal the wound.

© 2019, Michael R. Patton
common courage: poetry ebook