The tea kettle never pours cleanly,
It used to but now it dribbles,
Now matter the way I hold my hand,
Nor how I tip the fist and wrist,
The spout catches a few wet rivulets and
Makes the hot, steaming spill fall like
A stream of urine from a crippled prostate.
It hits the counter top,
Marks the spot with wet sloppy spots,
My mind racks,imagines a more neat pour,
No matter how I hold the kettle or how I wish for
A neat counter,
There is a reminder left.
My solution is to find the gift,
The way to be alright with the slight inconvenience,
Is to don’t look at it directly,
Let it do what it does and then,
Find the use of the spilled water,
To enjoy the gift of free hot water
Wetting the counter and when I wipe the spot,
Enjoy the clean spot left behind.
G. M. Goodwin
13 August 2019
2ND DRAFT
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
The tea kettle never pours cleanly,
It used to but now it dribbles,
No matter the way I hold my hand,
Nor how I tip the fist and wrist,
The spout catches a few wet rivulets and
Makes the hot, steaming spill fall like
A stream of urine from a crippled prostate.
It hits the counter top,
Marks the spot with wet sloppy spots,
My mind racks, imagines a neater pour,
No matter how I hold the kettle or how I wish for
A well-ordered counter,
There is a reminder left.
My solution is to find the gift,
The way to be alright with a slight inconvenience
Is to don’t look at it directly,
Let it do what it does and then
Find a use for the spill,
To enjoy the gift of free hot water
Wetting the counter,
And when I wipe dry the puddle,
Enjoy the clean spot left behind.
G. M. Goodwin
13 August 2019
3RD DRAFT
DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
The tea kettle never pours cleanly,
It used to but now it dribbles,
No matter the way I hold my hand,
Nor how I tip the fist and wrist,
The spout catches a few wet rivulets and
Makes the hot, steaming spill fall like
A stream of urine from a crippled prostate.
It hits the counter top,
Marks the surface with wet sloppy spots,
My mind racks, imagines a neater pour,
No matter how I hold the kettle or how I wish for
A well-ordered counter,
There is a reminder left.
My solution is to find the gift,
The way to be alright with a slight inconvenience
Is to ignore the insult,
Let it do what it does and then
Find a use for the spill,
To appreciate the gift of free hot water
Wetting the counter,
And when I wipe dry the puddle,
Enjoy the clean spot left behind.
G. M. Goodwin
13 August 2019
Playing Fair and Being Kind 
Funny, especially the “stream of urine …” Go with the flow.
Sent from my iPhone
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Your words are true for me too. A great reminder in your sharing. Thanks and love. Nina
Love you, Nina!
I had a similar problem with the carafe from my coffee maker. It dribbled when I filled my cup. I was complaining about it to a young friend of mine who worked in a restaurant as a server. He said, “The trick is to pour with confidence.” I tried it and it worked for me.
I enjoy reading your blog so much. I am always especially pleased when you include a poem. I feel a bit of kindred spirit with a fellow poet.
Good idea, Lynne. When I pour the water into the coffee filter too fast, it slops out. That will be another tale.
Didn’t a teacher along the way tell you, “go with your first instinct’? I like version #1