i found myself in the kitchen
needing a *** for boiling.
my wallet flat and credit maxed.
it didn't need to be new or shiny
because i am not new or shiny.
it didn't need to be expensive
or promise "perfect rice",
because i'm not expensive
and do not promise perfect rice.

i found it in a store where used things
end up for sale again.
where they sit in anticipation
to live another life,
to pass along stories they've come to know.
it was brown and tarnished
with some dents and a flimsy handle.
it looked perfect
and promised to boil rice.
not perfectly, but it would feed my belly
and tell me stories while i ate.