Plastic Potters Melamine Plate

It established the tacky domestic
decor when money was tight
and infants crawled the floors;
its stylized oriental floral
pattern quickly faded,
and it cracked or failed
to bounce on the kitchen floor,
becoming cat bowls or saucers for
plant pots for a time, surviving
as reminders of former family,
previous trips to the Melmac boutique,
old flats, old injuries, dead pets.