Thingummyjig

 

• I find television very educating.  Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.

Groucho Marx

there’s a thingummyjig which sits in the corner of my living room
it has a flat, black rectangular frame
with a glass screen in the middle
like a picture, but with no bright image
it was given to me with the intimation that it is impossible
to survive modern life without it

when it was gifted to me
a couple of ugly wires stuck out of the back
I cut them off as they had no aethetic value

I was told that it should be easy to make it work,
but it hasn’t done a thing in the four weeks it has been there
at first I thought it may go out and get a job
or at least
sign on at the jobcentre.
It hasn’t yet moved from the corner of the room
it hasn’t yet cooked a meal or washed up for me
it hasn’t cheered me when I feel down
it has no conversation
it hasn’t even told me I look good in this top
the only thing it seems to do is gather dust
which is perhaps a useful function if it means
that the dust isn’t landing on me

I suppose it could be worse
my friend had a similar object
moving images kept appearing on the screen
cockneys discussed murders in rough whispers
women bought dresses in the market
without checking the sizes
or even whether they liked them
endless breakfasts were consumed in a cafe
a pub echoed with angry exchanges

I wondered how she could live with a monster such as that.
I suppose she just got used to it.

This is today’s assignment for Writing 101 Day 7: Hook ’em with a quote

A blank page can be intimidating. Sometimes it’s helpful to use someone else’s words to give you a boost. Today, use a quote or passage from something you’ve read to introduce your post. You’ll see a similar technique at the beginning of a book or chapter in the form of an epigraph.

©Jane Paterson Basil