Member-only story
Featured
APRIL WRITING PROMPT | A-CULTURATED
The Death of the Dinner Table
A ritual lost to distraction and screen time
The Dining Table never thought it would get demoted.
It thought it would remain the undisputed monarch of the household forever, standing the test of time and rebellion. It thought it could put anything in its place, like the stern look of an angry mother. But somewhere along the lines of that same time it thought it could outlive, it lost.
The Table didn’t fall, per se, as its foundational and functional values are indisputable, but now, it’s forced to compete with laptops, television trays, and takeout containers balanced on knees.
The Dining Table is appalled, but it carries on with what it can still hold on to, like the roasted cod on Christmas eve, and the occasional Sunday feijoada. It finds joy in the clatter of plates passed from hand to hand at four o'clock in the afternoon, when the empty remains of lunch are finally transferred back to the kitchen, to make space on the table for coffee and dessert. It prides itself in its capacity to retain people, at will, for hours on end in its presence.
The Dining Table may no longer be the most attractive option for meal time, but it is endlessly patient, like the bark of the tree from…
