Paul Vanni
Going through her father’s
kitchen, Laura discovered his
collection of coffee mugs in
the cabinet over the sink:
The white mug chipped
on the rim which he purchased
while a student in Salzburg;
Two light blue mugs, survivors
of four housewarming gifts
given years earlier for his
first apartment by Uncle Carl,
One with the handle broken
off, the other still whole;
The cup for “left handers” only,
with a hole near the rim from
which beverage would spill
if used with the right hand;
The pair of black mugs, one
also chipped, displaying white
etchings of San Antonio’s Alamo;
Laura’s own birthday present to
him from the mall’s coffee shop,
the mug she often noticed him
using during visits, kept when
not in use in the back of the
cabinet as a precaution against
breaking; a mug with a painted
depiction and inscription:
Charge led by Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain, 20th Maine Volunteers,
Little Round Top,
Gettysburg, 2 July 1863.