‘Ceramic Giraffe’ by Ryan Keating

I keep a ceramic giraffe

standing guard in front

of the wooden wine rack

on top of the bookshelf

full of other bottles

in the corner of my kitchen.

I like the way I remember

how it feels in my hand-

the weight and texture

the shape and colors

even though I don’t touch it

very often any more, I can.

The spotted black and white

memory of buying it

in a shop that sold fresh cookies

in Louisville on a family trip

across the country in a van

we called The Love Boat

adds to the heft and smoothness

as it swirls in my palm, or would

if I picked it up while choosing

a bottle of red wine for dinner

here, at my crowded table

in the center of the kitchen

where the smell of fresh cookies

promises good things

are about to be remembered.

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Ryan Keating is a pastor, winemaker, and coffee roaster on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. His work can be found in publications such as Saint Katherine Review (forthcoming), Ekstasis Magazine, Words and Whispers, Box, Vocivia Magazine (forthcoming), and Miras Dergi, where he is a regular contributor in Turkish and English.