Mancala stones
Shining and pretty
Lovely little bits n bobs
Jade in color
I want to put them in my mouth
Swirl the rocks around my teeth
Like candy, though they could
Actually break my jaw with ease
Each little rock a seed
A row of plants encased
In metaphor from ages past
And while we play with stones
Not beans
The metaphor still lingers
In a way I fulfill their goal
As on my teeth they clack
Food for the winter, food
For the soul
Mancala stones on teeth
How fascinating for me — I returned and read this numerous times, each time wincing a bit at the “swirl” and then the “clacking” against the teeth, yet those sensations intrigued me. You have the lighter “candy” and then “food for winter,” making me think of both playful and desperate decisions each day. Finally, the idea that sticks with me right now is in the middle — “metaphor from ages past” — yet I don’t know what I think of that. Maybe I won’t know even when I read again, but it was enough to capture my attention and will probably stay with me throughout today’s housework and errands. Not too shabby a musing for a Tuesday in summer, huh?