This teapot
That I just bought
Is not necessarily safe.
This ceramic pot
Made in China
With a three year warranty
Against flaws in manufacture
Is not as innocent as it appears.
It might leach metals.
I was going to return it
But that was last night.
This morning I
Opened the box
Removed it from its cardboard
Form-fitting packing
Saved the warranty
And brewed some tea.
All of my decisions
These days are based on ratios.
I used to always be
All right or all wrong.
But now I satisfy myself
With being mostly right
Relative to being less wrong.
You used to be able to read the fear
Of being wrong
In my eyes or worse
Indefensibly right.
But ever since my warranty gave out
I’ve been much easier
To live with.
White, made in Indiana
Assembled in 1951.
In the future
There may come a day
When I will replace this pot
But for now
I am ominously content
To capitulate to the spell
Of my pseudo-innocence.
………………………
photo credit: dlg_images at https://www.flickr.com/people/131260238@N08/
License: Attribution