Margi Abraham

Fridge and Friends

When visiting people, my beloved Uncle Stan used to like to find the kitchen. Not just because he loved his tucker—and he did—but also to undertake a sneaky investigation of his hosts. His quirky habit was to “read the fridge”. There is so much to learn about a household from what’s on the fridge, he told me. For example: their travels, photos of family, their favourite take away food, their pets (past and present), even their current health issues revealed by doctors’ appointment cards.

on the fridge
old magnets and new menus
disasters averted
by Smith & Sons Plumbing
emergency service

As a retired English lecturer, Stan appreciated my choice of magnets featuring the quotes of famous writers, and postcards sent by friends from art museums and libraries overseas. As for photos, there is my husband and I at a wedding, our little granddaughter and one of the five “Tennis Girls” from three years ago.

I keep it there to remind me of Julie, who left life so suddenly. The four keep in close touch but we haven’t played tennis together again.

a week before Christmas
four women at my home
bubbles and laughter...
I still place the pudding
on the platter you bequeathed

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About the Author

Margi Abraham is a free-verse and tanka poet, living with blue gum trees, kookaburras, and rainbow lorikeets on the northern edge of Sydney, Australia. A retired urban and transport planner, she has a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Sydney and a passion for reading and writing poetry.

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