PAD 19 - Memory

For today’s prompt, write a memory poem. Pick a memory, any memory. It can be a significant event, but sometimes there are beautiful insignificant moments (that ironically are very significant–quite the paradox). Mine your memories to come up with something good today.

Experiment #16

I once was a budding scientist.
Setting the table was my daily chore,
one which I generally enjoyed,
but it took time from my experiments.

I got the placemats
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
And the plates
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
I folded the paper napkins
then distributed them
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
And then I noticed with renewed interest the centerpiece
- a high, reaching bouquet of fluffy pampas grass
arching over the length of the table
(very much my father's aesthetic)

How long, I wondered, would it take
for it to catch fire?

I found a box of matches and in a second,
(or I would say 1.75 seconds), the entire table
was engulfed in flame.

It is a good thing I have devoted my life to the arts.