Lately I've been spending time
in southeast Missouri.
It's the land of natural springs and huge forests,
old history and clear rivers-
rafting and camping
and good home cooking.
And, I must add-
it is also the land of Porch Couches.
You can rarely go a mile or two
without seeing a porch
adorned with a very special sofa.
Sometimes it isn't a couch at all,
but a ragged recliner
which was so well loved
that the owners refused to part with it.
Or perhaps it just never quite made it
to the curb on trash day.
The thing is,
I hardly ever see anyone sitting
on their Porch Couch.
Usually it's a hound dog
or a roosting chicken
or the transmission from a pickup truck.
I think if I had a Porch Couch,
I would at least utilize it-
and maybe make it more attractive.
Cover up the holes
and push the stuffing back in
and refuse to let the cat give
birth to kittens on it.
My Porch Couch
would be long and wide
and just right for napping.
It would be soft-
and fat with fluffy pillows
and draped with a sweet old quilt
that smelled of lilacs.
It would be the perfect place for reading-
or having a cup of coffee and a donut.
A place for neighborly chats
and unbridled laughter
and for feeling the wind on my face.
Those people with Porch Couches
probably don't realize that they have
started a new fashion trend in England.
Concrete porch furniture
that looks like this!
It starts with a week long process
of casting a mold from an original leather sofa.
Though the cushions in the photo look very soft and pliable,
they are hard as a rock.
It is entirely concrete.
There is even a concrete coin
cast between the cushions!
So, folks- with one of these Porch Couches,
the family coon dog-
sloppy nachos,
spilled beer
and muddy overalls
couldn't ruin your special outdoor place
of relaxation.
And although I am a firm believer in
Porch Pondering,
I think some people just take it too far...
