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Radio Chipstone: 'The Appearance of Life'

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If there is anything you should know about contributor Gianofer Fields, it's that she doesn't drink coffee to wake up - she wakes up to drink coffee. Next to exploring the avenues of Material Culture, it's her favorite thing.

The same can be said for Madison writer Char Braxton. Braxton found her love for writing in UW Madison's Odyssey Project. Odyssey offers a Humanities class for adults who face barriers to higher education. Not to long ago, Braxton was given the assignment to write about the life of an object. She chose a cup of coffee.

In this edition of Radio Chipstone, fields chats with Braxton in the student union about her essay entitled "The Appearance of Life:"

The Appearance of Life: Seeing, Hearing and Smelling

A good cup of coffee brings happiness, great taste and smells and flashbacks at times of an ugly incident that required my forgiveness. Coffee is part of who I am; I drink it daily and my skin color is caramel-salted coffee brown. The coffee bean must be 100% Arabica and dark-brown before grinding takes place. The water must be cold and pure as it is added to the pot for brewing. Each drip of blended water and coffee creates a passionate dance of aromas that are bold, alluring and intense as you wait to devour your first cup with real Wisconsin dairy cream.

That morning I was the cup of coffee that my step-father was eyeing with flavor, arousal and gratification.

He was light-brown, strict, funny and always gave us money and gifts. Sitting down at the kitchen table with him was like sitting down with royalty. All guests were clean, well-groomed and the conversation was alluring and exciting. The coffee percolating was the best money could buy. That morning I remember looking into his deep brown eyes feeling like a princess and him telling me there are things that a father must do so that his little girl becomes a woman. I had thoughts of big girl purses, dresses that had dazzles and sparkles, and endless piles of money stacked into the deep blue sky.

My eyes started feeling heavy, my body was becoming numb and I could not move a muscle in my body. That’s when he picked me up gently and dragged me to the basement; I tried to yell help, help, help but the words felt like clouds that disappear in the sky: poof. The strength of his athletic, muscular toned-body was no match for my innocent caramel virgin skin.

Why, why, why Daddy are you hurting me like this? Why can’t I cry? Why can’t I fight back? Your breathing hard and sweating was a memory of you lifting weights and boxing. The coffee was through percolating and he had dispersed his cream.

As I look back on that horrific and painful experience, I know that life is not what it appears to be. The fresh aroma of a cup of coffee, the smell of old basements, and the truth about a man that gazed at me with false warmth and love. I thought he would protect me, I thought he would walk me down the aisle on my wedding day, I thought that I was his magical wand instead he raped me. God has a way of protecting his precious little lambs and I did not remember the incident until much later in my life. Each time I go into a room, I know the size, its contents and the nearest exit. Being cautious is an attribute. Investigating the situation prior to my arrival is done self-consciously. The dark places that my body and mind has been through finally experienced light and goodness. I trust, but it must be earned at the highest level possible and the trust-circle is very small. Forgiveness was the key for my entrance into a new realm of love, warmth and kindness.

You see; life is not what it appears to be. Your sight is based on your experiences, values and past, your hearing on the wisdom that is built by understanding, and your smelling is the aroma of starting over and over again with love.

The cup of coffee that I consume will always be priceless.

Material culture contributor Gianofer Fields curates the Radio Chipstone series. The project is funded by the Chipstone Foundation, a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.