January 20: "Mute Potato," Quirky, My Niece

Billy Collins prepares dinner . . . 

Mute Potato

by:  Billy Collins

Before introducing it to a pot

of boiling water,

I caught a medium-size

Idaho potato

staring up at me

with several of its many eyes.

I've always imagined, since I was a child, that everything had feelings and emotions--dogs and goldfish, grass under our feet, the moon, and, yes, the potatoes we boil for food.  Perhaps this idea came to me watching cartoons--all those anthropomorphized animals, plants, and objects.  Bugs Bunny.  Dancing brooms in Fantasia.  Talking apple trees in The Wizard of Oz.  Not to mention Bambi and Thumper and gang.  Is it that far of a stretch that potatoes look up at us in horror as we peel them and drop them in boiling water?

That's a small glimpse into the convolutions of my mind.  If, after reading the above paragraph, you think I'm weird, that's okay.  I've been this way my whole life.  And by "this way," I mean a little . . . unhinged.  Yet, I've been able to build a career out of my weirdness--as a teacher and writer and poet and actor and musician.

There are politer terms that have been applied to my personality.  Two of my favorites are "eccentric" and "quirky."  I love being a little unpredictable.  (Some of my students at college have told me that they actually show up to class just to see what shit is going to come out of my mouth every day.)  I like to think my quirks make me loveable.

One of my favorite people in the world who completely gets me--in all of my strangeness--is my niece, Aubri.  We have always gotten along really well.  Perhaps we see the world similarly.  (I'm not saying that she imagines her potatoes staring up at her from her soup bowl, but she might.)  Aubri came over tonight to play games with my family.  We had pizza and drinks (I made her my version of a tequila sunrise with peach schnapps), and then we played Jackbox.tv for three hours.  I haven't laughed so hard in a really long time.  

The world is a much better place with Aubri in it.  Not a lot of people get my eccentricities/weirdness, but she is one of them.

Saint Marty is blessed to have her in his life.