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# Stainless
- URL: https://dianaludwick.com/stainless/
- Published: 2026-05-19T14:58:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-19T14:58:00.000Z
- Description: “Stainless,” a moment of dysphonia as exacerbated by young humans. Written Tuesday, May 19, poem 139 in a series of 365 poems written by Diana Ludwick in 2026. Photo: "Noisy Spoon," by Diana Ludwick (c) 2026.
- Author: Diana Ludwick
- Tags: 2026 Poetry Challenge, Dry Humor, Generational, Humor, Poems, Snarky, Bowl, Child, Dysphonia, Family, Fiji, Hormonal, Husband, Ice Cream, May, Melt, Noisy, Owl, Peace, Perimenopause, Quiet, Silicone, Soul, Spring, Stainless, Suburbia, Tuesday, Utensils, #Migrated-1792872215677, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 20:03

Clank clank clank;  
*screech squeal scratch.*  
Shrieking stainless streaks porcelain.  
Metal screams; shrapnel to my soul.  
  
I peer over at her, my child.  
She's holding her owl bowl,  
filled with melting ice cream.  
The first bowl she received,  
from a loving au pair long ago.  
I wonder if it will be her last?  
  
I pause the movie, turn my head, stare.  
"Please, please, be quieter."  
She shoots death eyes back at me.  
"Yeah, mom." She means, No.  
  
I resume the film;  
she resumes stirring.  
Clank screech scratch  
*Shriek squeal crash.*  
  
"Please, for the love of your mom,   
eat that ice cream with less scraping!"  
I am about done with this.  
We return to *The Hunt For Red October.*  
  
It's a pivotal scene;   
the submarine is chillingly silent.  
And yet, here in suburbia,  
screeeeeeeeeech scratch shriek.  
  
My hands fly for the remote.  
IF YOU CANNOT BE QUIET,  
*THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!*  
I bellow, reasonably.  
  
My callous daughter remains unmoved.  
My husbands eyes shift to mine,  
and while he is smart, he says:  
"How long does perimenopause last?"  
  
Which is why, this morning,  
I am up an hour before my alarm.  
I am on the Interwebs.  
I am searching on terms such as:  
"Quiet eating spoons."  
"Silicone-dipped eating utensils."  
"Non-noisy eating ware."  
"How to make family be quiet for seven years."  
"Quiet"  
"Finding Quiet"  
"How to find Peace while living with Family"  
"Silent spoons."   
"Flights to Fiji."   
  
\===  
  
My four-pack of silicone mini mixing spoons   
is set to arrive at four a.m. tomorrow.  
Pray for my family  
that these stealthy spoons will fix this.