Grandfather was never sure
That the bathtub was meant
To hold so much water:
He stood outside the door
And listened to the stream
Pouring in and
When it did not stop
Called out to visiting Cousin
Jim,
"Don't put all that water in;
The floor might give way:
You could fall right through!"
Cousin Jim was slightly hard of
Hearing and let the water freely
flow
While Papa fumed outside the door
And cursed the inside lock
While Cousin Jim enjoyed his bath
Not knowing Papa's fear
Of things falling in was deep as
the well
And old as sin.
[Poem by Virginia McKinnon Mann; dated January, 1995. This is one of my favorites (along with "The Joy of Poetry Book"), because it is both comical and poignant. I left the line in the last stanza that she crossed out because it heightens that duochrome mood (to mix my metaphors atrociously).]
This action in this poem would have taken place at 103 Brent Street in Wadesboro, North Carolina. The house was originally constructed without indoor plumbing, so the addition of a bathtub could well cause the structural anxiety recounted in this poem. I'm impressed by the tension in this vignette, and the way that the closing metaphor universalizes Papa's fear.
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ReplyDeleteYou can see pictures of the house on Zillow: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/103-Brent-St-Wadesboro-NC-28170/68704707_zpid/
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