A very large and pretty, shapely China cup —

bright flowers, spring-green leaves, one stripy wing-spread bee

emblazoned on its plump white curves — surprise to see it

gleaming on a store-shelf near some aprons hanging down

some small Italian crackers, cutting boards, pale cannellini beans . . .

Odd cup! odd here — too naïve! and much too big for coffee

but caught my eye — why? guess it just seemed to be

so . . . oddly practical, useful cup for certain kinds of soup

proper size and shape and shade for green potage

or minestrone, even borscht, maybe

Not necessary to acquire it, nor anything

(unless ongoingness means food gets deemed a need)

yet shapely cup lodged somewhere in the errant mind

while weekdays passed — and then more food restocking

one more Saturday, same old market once again

reno'd now, great big Italian place a few blocks down

where we had shopped for pasta, cheese, those many years —

on that same store-shelf, gleaming, shapely cup . . . still waiting

beyond the shiny green-hued olive oil

before the jasmine scented bubble bath

And, to my own surprise,

at once I halted

stopped short mid-stride

there by the big bright cup

and swiftly picked it up

purchased it

possessed it

right then

right there —

Three cold days pass

then bang it slaps me out of nowhere

while walking home

spot something sprouting, bright spring green

same bright spring green from painted, gaudy, too-large cup

how ugly strange it is for me

how hopeless to be buying just one cup

one solitary mug, and never even think —

the way I always, always auto-thought before —

of buying, getting . . . needing two.

***

from online etymology dictionary:

mug (verb) "to beat up," 1818, originally "to strike the face" (in pugilism), from (n.2) "face." The general meaning "attack" is attested by 1846, and "attack to rob" by 1864. Perhaps influenced by thieves' slang mug "dupe, fool, sucker" (1851). Related: Mugged; mugging.

***