The Daily Palette Vintage--featuring Iowa Writes

KATHY KAPITAN
Thankful


Thankful for sweet peppers
Barbara called last night

      Sweet Italian red peppers
      Smooth thin skinned
      Long red curved
              Little lipstick peppers
              Sun-kissed
              Bold scarlet
                    Corno Di Toro
                    "Horn of the Bull"
                    Gorgeous red cones
                          Chinese Giants
                          Ripening from green to yellow
                          To orange to brilliant cherry-red

Thankful for sweet peppers
Barbara called last night

      Sweet Italian red peppers
      Smooth thin skinned
      Long red curved
              Little lipstick peppers
              Sun-kissed
              Bold scarlet
                    Corno Di Toro
                    "Horn of the Bull"
                    Gorgeous red cones
                          Chinese Giants
                          Ripening from green to yellow
                          To orange to brilliant cherry-red

Arranging peppers
Seeing sweet red peppers again
And again

Spilling scarlet red over the blue crock bowl
      Onto the kitchen counter

                              Five pepper pyramid
                          Perfect golden balance
                                Table centerpiece

Luscious blood-red cones lined up straight across the pink Depression glass plate

A prairie sunset of sweet peppers spanning the bookshelves

Her sweetheart joined her play
Then they got just plain silly

Topping the TV with a trio of lipstick peppers
Tumbling pepper cartwheels along the windowsill

Resting across the teacup, a long Italian red
Hanging from a curtain sash, a twisted c-shaped fruit
Trimming the brim of a proper black hat
Filling a Christmas stocking with bells
Balancing on a picture frame
      Then replacing the bright abstract
        With Uncle Ralph's portrait
          Dust and all from the attic
Some peppers wearing lace doilies like shawls

Surprising each other
Seeing sweet red peppers again
And again

Tomorrow afternoon
                      Barbara and her sweetheart will try eating
                                                                Beloved sweet red peppers

                              Barbara called last night
                          Thankful for sweet peppers
                                      Thankful

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The Daily Palette Vintage--featuring Iowa Writes

About Iowa Writes:

Since 2006, "Iowa Writes" has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers on The Daily Palette, and it has recently expanded its scope to include work published by Iowa journals and publishers. Curated by the staff of The Iowa Review, "Iowa Writes" features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction several times a week on the Palette. In November of 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature. Find out more about submitting by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu.


KATHY KAPITAN

Kathy Kapitan's hometown is Yankton, SD, and she currently gardens in Storm Lake, IA. She teaches composition courses at Buena Vista University. An avid reader, undisciplined writer, and enthusiastic gardener, Kapitan loves the Midwest, all four seasons, and the horizon as well as her family, friends, dogs, ducks, and cats.

This page was originally published on September 17, 2006.

Happy holidays from the Daily Palette!

This page was first displayed
on November 28, 2013

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