Fantasy is a two-edged sword. It can amplify our disenchantment with the world, or refresh our appreciation of it. William Jay Smith does a great job communicating the romance of domesticity and refreshing our appreciation of life in his poem, “The Toaster.” He uses the unfamiliar (dragon) to refresh our wonder at the familiar (toaster). Tolkien once suggested: “We need … to clean our windows; so that the things seen clearly may be freed from the drab blur of triteness or familiarity –from possessiveness.” I think William Jay Smith accomplishes this admirably.
Here is the poem if it is too small to read on the illustration (but try clicking on the image, maybe twice, to see it larger):
The Toaster
by William Jay Smith
A silver-scaled Dragon with jaws flaming red
Sits at my elbow and toasts my bread.
I hand him fat slices and then, one by one,
He hands them back when he sees they are done.
You can find more of his work online at zachfranzen.com and on Instagram @zachfranzen.
- Be More Human - February 17, 2020
- Time for Timelessness - August 19, 2019
- Seven Steps To a Better Bedtime Story - November 7, 2018
“Daddy, if the dwagon bowns the toast, will it bown in ouw moufs?” My 3 yr old, with serious questions about this situation. 7 year old son loved it, as do I. Thanks for the wonderful painting, Zach!
The common thinking is that kids prefer generalities and adults prefer specificity, but I think Micah just demonstrated how much kids delight in specificity. Thanks for the feedback!
I love how bored/testy the dragon looks! Like there might soon be a slice that broke the dragon’s back, and the man will have no idea what he’s done.
Thanks for the kind words Hannah. Love your etsy shop by the way!
I love this illustration! And your words about the uses of fantasy have got me thinking about re-enchantment…which seems particularly apropos this time of year, with early dusks and foggy dawns. Thanks so much for sparking (ha!) my imagination 🙂
Thank you Kimberlee. Re-enchantment is a such a great word and a much more concise way to describe what I was trying to get at.