poem Silver, a poem from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#47, Ag), By Chicago Poet and performance artist Janet Kuypers — Silver poem, Periodic Table poem, value poem, money poem, Silverware poem, grandparents poem, engagement ring poem, wedding ring poem, diamond poem, thicker poem, stronger poem, amalgams poem, cavities poem, elemen poem, photography poem, college, poem, photojournalism poem, emulsion poem, coins poem, globe poem, countries poem, dollar slots poem, Vegas poem, Silver dollars poem, poem, sentimental poem, value poem, priceless poem

[the Writing of Kuypers] [JanetKuypers.com] [Bio] [Poems] [Prose]

Silver (#047)
edited for the “Poetry Saloon at Noon” feature
at the Chicago Cultural Center 1/30//13
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series
Silver, mixed with other metals,
can make amalgams, for people like me
with too many cavities to count.
Now, Silver may be
a worthwhile metal element,
but I was relieved
when the dentist
fixed those fillings
with an amalgam matching
the color of my teeth...
#
I worked for years for a minor
in photography in college,
with photojournalism to portraiture
to political to art photography.
I’d wind my own film,
coated with an emulsion
containing light-sensitive
Silver halide salts. I loved
working in that darkroom,
seeing images appear
that I captured with my
Silver-emulsion film.
#
I’ve collected Silver coins
from around the globe for years...
But my mother, years ago,
played the dollar slots in Vegas
(back in the day when the slot machines
actually paid coins directly to you,
and didn’t give you money on a card
you needed to cash in),
and she won tons of old Silver dollars once.
For decades she kept a jar
in the cabinet in the kitchen
(labeled “Maw”)
filled with these Silver dollars.
The Silver dollars were given to me
after she passed away,
and now I have stacks of these
century-old Silver dollars
displayed with all of
my other Silver and metal coins
from around the world.
I know the 1888 Silver dollar
my mom won is so worn
that it can’t be worth much,
but trust me, in my opinion,
it’s priceless.

Watch the YouTube video
of this Kuypers reading the poem live 1/26/13 on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Canon),
with music from the HA!Man of South Africa
(2011 Hotel music “the Ice is Melting”)

Watch the YouTube video
of Kuypers reading the 2nd half of this poem live 1/26/13 on WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Samsung), with music from the HA!Man of South Africa (2011 Hotel music “the Ice is Melting”)

See YouTube video
1/26/13 of Kuypers reading 8 Periodic Table poems (including this poem) on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Canon), with the HA!Man of South Africa’s 2011 Hotel music the Ice is Melting playing

See YouTube video
1/26/13 of Kuypers reading 8 Periodic Table poems (including this poem) on Chicago’s WZRD 88.3 FM radio (Samsung), with the HA!Man of South Africa’s 2011 Hotel music the Ice is Melting playing

Watch this YouTube video
of this “Periodic Table of Poetry” poem read live in Chicago 1/30/13 (Canon) at her feature Poetry Saloon at Noon

See YouTube video
of Kuypers reading her “Periodic Table” poems, including this one, live in her Chicago 1/30/13 feature Poetry Saloon at Noon, with background music from the HA!Man of South Africa’ “Wayward Waltz of the Fractured Wind”

Download this poem in the free chapbook
the Poetry Saloon at Noon,
w/ the Periodic Table of Poetry poems
chapbook of poems in this show.

Silver
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#47, Ag)
12/29/12
Got a huge batch of silver bars,
but didn’t want to sell them
because at the time the value of Silver
temporarily dropped.
But the thing is, with all that Silver,
I would have had to pay
people to store it,
costing me even more money.
So I buried it,
and waited for the value of Silver
to rise again
before I cashed my Silver in.
#
I never got the Silverware
from my grandparents,
I was too young
and they lived too long,
but I got the silverware case
from my brothers house
when he moved out
of his last hone.
#
My engagement ring
was originally the wedding ring
of my husband’s great-grandmother.
But that engagement ring
(with a diamond in a white gold setting)
later became a pendant,
and after the fragile
white gold chain broke
(because even though it’s heavy,
it’s expensive, so it was thin),
we replaced it with a Silver chain,
thicker, and therefore stronger,
and worked perfectly
to showcase that diamond
around my neck for years.
#
Silver, mixed with other metals,
can make amalgams, for people
like me with too many
cavities to count. Silver may be
a worthwhile metal element,
but I was relieved
when the dentist
fixed those fillings
with an amalgam matching
the color of my teeth...
#
I worked for years for a minor
in photography in college,
aced every course
from photojournalism to
portrait to art photography.
I’d wind my own film,
coated with an emulsion
containing light-sensitive
Silver halide salts. I loved
working in that darkroom,
seeing images appear
that I captured with my
Silver-emulsion film.
#
I’ve collected Silver coins for years,
and traveling around the globe
has increased my desire
for coins from other countries.
And my mother, years ago
played the dollar slots in Vegas
(back in the day when the slot machines
paid cash directly to you,
and didn’t give you a card
you needed to cash in),
and she won tons of old Silver dollars.
For decades she kept a jar
in the cabinet in the kitchen
(labeled “Maw”)
filled with these Silver dollars.
The Silver dollars were given to me
after she passed away,
and now I have stacks of these
century-old Silver dollars
displayed with all of
my other Silver and metal coins
from around the world.
I know the 1888 Silver dollar
in that collection is so worn
that it can’t be worth much,
but trust me, for sentimental value,
it’s priceless.

Silver Silver Silver

(original editing for live performances)

Silver
Janet Kuypers
from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#47, Ag)
12/29/12
Got a huge batch of silver bars,
but didn’t want to sell them
because at the time the value of Silver
temporarily dropped.
But the thing is, with all that Silver,
I would have had to pay
people to store it,
costing me even more money.
So I buried it,
and waited for the value of Silver
to rise again
before I cashed my Silver in.
#
Silver, mixed with other metals,
can make amalgams, for people
like me with too many
cavities to count. Silver may be
a worthwhile metal element,
but I was relieved
when the dentist
fixed those fillings
with an amalgam matching
the color of my teeth...
#
I worked for years for a minor
in photography in college,
aced every course
from photojournalism to
portrait to art photography.
I’d wind my own film,
coated with an emulsion
containing light-sensitive
Silver halide salts. I loved
working in that darkroom,
seeing images appear
that I captured with my
Silver-emulsion film.
#
I’ve collected Silver coins for years,
and traveling around the globe
has increased my desire
for coins from other countries.
And my mother, years ago
played the dollar slots in Vegas
(back in the day when the slot machines
paid cash directly to you,
and didn’t give you a card
you needed to cash in),
and she won tons of old Silver dollars.
For decades she kept a jar
in the cabinet in the kitchen
(labeled “Maw”)
filled with these Silver dollars.
The Silver dollars were given to me
after she passed away,
and now I have stacks of these
century-old Silver dollars
displayed with all of
my other Silver and metal coins
from around the world.
I know the 1888 Silver dollar
in that collection is so worn
that it can’t be worth much,
but trust me, for sentimental value,
it’s priceless.