Objects are evocative; they hold stories. The writing challenge this week is to begin with an object. Take something small, and concrete — a thing, a noun — and use that as a starting point.
I began thinking what I could use as an object for my challenge. I looked all over my home office, nothing came to mind. I sat and thought and thought and thought, nothing came to mind. I decided to do some other things to clear my mind of everything. Start with a blank canvas so to speak. It usually works for me and sure enough, it did again.
I had the object I wanted to write about. It was perfect. It meant a lot to me. It held great meaning. It was a simple object, yet with so many emotions attached to it. Below is that object.

It usually sits in a glass cupboard with other things I value. So it’s a bit dusty, a bit dirty, but means so much.
It was my Dad’s favorite coffee cup according to my mom. My dad died a little over ten years ago from prostate cancer. I loved my dad. So this coffee cup holds lots of memories and love.
Sometimes I take it out of the cupboard and just hold it in my hands and think of him. I talk to him and tell him I miss him and I wish I could see him one more time. I tell him that I would have been there as he passed to tell him I loved him if I could have.
But I wasn’t there. That makes me so sad sometimes.
My mother sent me this cup several years after Dad died. You see, the time of his death is doubly sad as I wasn’t on speaking terms with my family at the time. No one told me he had died till several months after the fact. I never got my chance to say I loved him, I never got my chance to say good-bye.
I believe he knew I loved him. My dad and I could communicate silently. We did it most of our lives. He was a quiet man, kept to himself a lot. But, I always could talk to him. He was always honest with me. I appreciated that fact.
So even though this cup never gets filled with coffee anymore, it’s filled with other things. Memories, love, forgiveness, and peace.
It’s just a cheap glass coffee cup
But inside, it’s not empty
as memories fill it to the brim
Memories of quiet talks when no one else was around
of flower beds and growing things
that surrounded you
of black coffee with just a touch of sugar
and a doughnut on the side
This cup isn’t empty at all
as my love fills it up to be drank by the ghosts
of the past
Long fingers on strong hands grasping
the handle with care
This may look like an old cheap glass coffee cup
but to me it’s much more
It’s you Dad, I love you
- HOT POTATO | Fit 4 Life, LLC
- The Evil Calculator | Alexia Jones
- My Daughter’s Balloon | Sentiments of a Working Mom
- The blue bicycle | the REmissionary
- Subjectification | Blue Loft
- The Wooden Walking Stick: Dangers of Getting Comfortable with Comfort | Thorough and Unkempt
- Alarm | Stealing All the Sevens
- I Dreamed About Avril Lavigne | THE BLACK SPAGHETTI CHRONICLES
- Tigger: an object – Weekly Writing Challenge | alienorajt
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Object – Seat: 49B | SA:ME (사메)
- The Lurker’s List | The Bum’s Newspaper – A Day in the Life of a Bum
- The Blog Farm | Weekly Writing Challenge: The Object Of Desire…
- This Room | My Newingness
- An object lesson in writing? | First Person: a novel
- A 100 days to a new me: Day 9, where did the roses go? | Rebranding Life
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Object | Of Glass & Paper
- Me, the Fockers and a Cosmo. | Hope* the happy hugger
- Bicycle Balancing Act | Wright Outta Nowhere
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Object | medicinalmeadows
- Three Red Chairs | The Silver Leaf Journal
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Object – My Grandma’s Reindeer | Blogizing
- Can You Hear Me Now? | thatchristalgirlsblog
- L’Object de Superflu | Perceptive Pot Clueless Kettle
- Weekly Writing Challenge: Object | Morrighan’s Muse
- DP Challenge: ONLY IF SOME BOOKS COULD SPEAK | one hundred thousand beats per day
- Second-Hand Tsukumogami | Fish Of Gold