FUNCTION MEETS BEAUTY

I made a connection today
Loading up Atlanta groceries in my Kenyan and west African baskets.
I felt different, and proud.
Glad to be skipping a step.
Yes, I recycle grocery bags,
But what about if I don’t have any,
Surely that’s better still.
I imagined my boys being slightly embarrassed
As I pushed my empty baskets around in my cart,
Waiting for the end game at the register.
I remembered the fruit from the Ridgeways kiosks
That only months ago had gone into these baskets.
If I was lucky, perhaps there was still a bit of dirt
or tiny piece of Kenyan sukuma
stubbornly stuck to the bottom.
I want to keep it all with me as long as I can.
As I loaded the car,
I sensed that the baskets felt good about their work.
Like they were being true to what was intended for them
In their place in the world.
I thought about the hands that made them.
Most likely women artisans,
who understand how beauty and function meet.
OK, maybe my mind got a little carried away with wandering thoughts.
The goal was just to get groceries home.
But today the connectors were beautiful,
And poignant with significance.
And I was glad for a moment to recognize,
Not all containers are created equal.