Souvenir

'BALL

Perfect Mason'

From the days of canning;

formerly from a high shelf in the basement,

out of the pages of history

comes not the Lone Ranger

but a blue-green

glass jar;

my favorite glass,

the zinc lid with the rubber gasket

standing by

but not as needed,

for the open, ridged,

easily clutched screw top vessel

now serving as a container

for ice and ginger ale

or orange juice

or plain water

stands alone.

There once were many of them

on that high shelf,

side-by-side,

Grandma's proud collection

of prunes, tomatoes, and rhubarb,

beans and corn

seen through the shiny blue-green jars.

Perfect.