“Teapots and Faeries—Part Two”

Newest addition!

 

            Recently, I relocated my faery collection into the living room and kitchen instead of the family room. Because the statues had resided so long in one location, they’d shifted in my attention to background noise. New locations, spreading faeries throughout two rooms instead of one, attracts visitors' eyes, too. Our front window showcases several figurines that anyone walking up to the door can see. By drawing this collection forward, I’ve ended up adding to them with an outside faerie in the front garden.

             The ripple down from moving my faeries into the kitchen resulted in my teapot collection, which continues to grow annually, to find new locations. I have some favorites that I use when sipping tea in the mornings, and others stay perched in spots just for display.

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

"Teapots and Faeries"

 

            My first teapot, a gift from my Aunt Esther, resides in my bedroom, tucked into a shelf with silk daisies sprouting from its top. I don’t think my aunt planned on the purchase, but who can resist the pleading green eyes of an eight-year-old asking for a teapot instead of toys? The pot, a plain brown Sadler from England, began a lifetime love of these wonderful vessels. Teapots became my well cherished gifts for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries.

            

            The collection rotates through the house with special holiday teapots making seasonal appearances. My prized tea set, brought back from Japan by my grandfather in the 1920s, includes a gilded dragon teapot that captured my childish imagination and enchants me still. My teapots, purchased more for their uniqueness than their values, hold warm memories as well as hot tea.

   

        

           

           Back in 2002, my son (then sixteen) played a role playing game called Dark Age of Camelot with a guild filled with a remarkable mix of people. The guild suspended its eighteen-year-old or older requirement for members for Paul because they liked him so much. This eclectic group, with members from all around the United States and a few people from other countries, decided to host a LAN party in Shreveport, Louisiana and included Paul in their invitation. We decided to tag along and use the long weekend as a mini-vacation.

          










          Shreveport’s museums, rose garden, and casinos kept us fairly busy, but the antique shops and curio boutiques lured me into their potpourri havens. One shop, in particular, captivated me with its fantasy displays of dolls, stuffed animals, gnomes and faeries. Two statues beguiled me so much that I made a rare and indulgent purchase.

            Of course, my two faeries multiplied into a collection. The warrior set, that stands determined to battle, arrived one Christmas. Others appeared for special occasions while some flew into our home and perched on shelves and bookcases for no reason except to give me pleasure.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Butterflies and Hummingbirds”

 

 

Camera

weighing heavily in hand

 longing for the perfect shot

yearning to capture a butterfly

floating delicately on a flower

holding breath to capture the hummingbird’s faerie flight

balancing luck and patience

focusing life’s lens  

Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

 

 

 

"Teapots and Faeries"

 

My first teapot, a gift from my Aunt Esther, resides in my bedroom, tucked into a shelf with silk daisies sprouting from its top. I don’t think my aunt planned on the purchase, but who can resist the pleading green eyes of an eight-year-old asking for a teapot instead of toys? The pot, a plain brown Sadler from England, began a lifetime love of these wonderful vessels. Teapots became my well cherished gifts for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries.

The collection rotates through the house with special holiday teapots making seasonal appearances. My prized tea set, brought back from Japan by my grandfather in the 1920s, includes a gilded dragon teapot that captured my childish imagination and enchants me still. My teapots, purchased more for their uniqueness than their values, hold warm memories as well as hot tea.

Back in 2002, my son (then sixteen) played a role playing game called Dark Age of Camelot with a guild filled with a remarkable mix of people. The guild suspended its eighteen-year-old or older requirement for members for Paul because they liked him so much. This eclectic group, with members from all around the United States and a few people from other countries, decided to host a LAN party in Shreveport, Louisiana and included Paul in their invitation. We decided to tag along and use the long weekend as a mini-vacation.

Shreveport’s museums, rose garden, and casinos kept us fairly busy, but the antique shops and curio boutiques lured me into their potpourri havens. One shop, in particular, captivated me with its fantasy displays of dolls, stuffed animals, gnomes and faeries. Two statues beguiled me so much that I made a rare and indulgent purchase.

Of course, my two faeries multiplied into a collection. The warrior set, that stands determined to battle, arrived one Christmas. Others appeared for special occasions while some flew into our home and perched on shelves and bookcases for no reason except to give me pleasure.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Parental Love"

Guided through life   

by a silver thread   

that winds through the   

mazes our minds create    

Fine and delicate   

it’s a spider’s soft silk   

that gathers the morning dew   

and catches the sun’s warmth    

A gossamer of spun fairy’s hair   

touched with magic and dreams   

as fragile as a hummingbird’s egg   

yet strong with love and faith   

Copyright 1989 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“The Best Nap”

Malahide Castle

Dublin bound for half a day   

with seats in the upright position   

fitfully dozing during the long flight   

as snatches of movies weave into my dreams   

maneuvering through city streets    

in search of Malahide Castle—our first stop in enchantment   

the cobwebs of travel puff away       

catch on the gossamer of history       

we walk hand-in-hand from parlor to pantry       

forgetting our fatigue as we meander through gardens   

we linger, lusting for greener pastures   

hunger nudges us to homemade bread and thick potato soup   

--Clontarf Castle’s soft beds lure us upstairs   

hot showers, cool linens blend with child play   

we stretch on pristine sheets and tumble into perfect slumber   

sleep embraces us soothingly as we spoon together   

glass tinkling, or pixie laughter?   

the voices of Ireland lull us into serenity   

Clontarf Castle

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“The Corner of My Eye”

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a laughing ghost  

she morphs into my fancies  

as she alters my reality  

I sigh her name and capture her hand—  

but she vanishes into the mist of who I was  

so I release her when she smiles    

recognizing myself reflected in her twinkling eyes      

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a noble dragon  

she sparkles with childhood jewels  

as she flies into view  

I reach out to touch her, to skip my fingers across her scales  

but she slips out of reach  

as she beckons me to follow her flight  

back to simple pleasures   

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a dancing fairy  

she glimmers with tomorrow’s blessings   

as she throws a kiss my way  

I long to turn my head and follow her as I boogie along  

but she’ll vanish from sight     

so I let her tease me and entrance me all day     

listening for her breath and the whisper of her wings  

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Teapots and Faeries”

            My first teapot, a gift from my Aunt Esther, resides in my bedroom, tucked into a shelf with silk daisies sprouting from its top. I don’t think my aunt planned on the purchase, but who can resist the pleading green eyes of an eight-year-old asking for a teapot instead of toys? The pot, a plain brown Sadler from England, began a lifetime love of these wonderful vessels. Teapots became my well cherished gifts for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries.

            

            The collection rotates through the house with special holiday teapots making seasonal appearances. My prized tea set, brought back from Japan by my grandfather in the 1920s, includes a gilded dragon teapot that captured my childish imagination and enchants me still. My teapots, purchased more for their uniqueness than their values, hold warm memories as well as hot tea.

   

        

           

           Back in 2002, my son (then sixteen) played a role playing game called Dark Age of Camelot with a guild filled with a remarkable mix of people. The guild suspended its eighteen-year-old or older requirement for members for Paul because they liked him so much. This eclectic group, with members from all around the United States and a few people from other countries, decided to host a LAN party in Shreveport, Louisiana and included Paul in their invitation. We decided to tag along and use the long weekend as a mini-vacation.

          










          Shreveport’s museums, rose garden, and casinos kept us fairly busy, but the antique shops and curio boutiques lured me into their potpourri havens. One shop, in particular, captivated me with its fantasy displays of dolls, stuffed animals, gnomes and faeries. Two statues beguiled me so much that I made a rare and indulgent purchase.

            Of course, my two faeries multiplied into a collection. The warrior set, that stands determined to battle, arrived one Christmas. Others appeared for special occasions while some flew into our home and perched on shelves and bookcases for no reason except to give me pleasure.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman