Thursday, June 23, 2022

It's Friday, Time for a Poem

  

  Poetry Friday is with Catherine Flynn, who's hosting HERE at Reading to the Core.  Go visit to read her abecedarian recipe for teaching. Thanks for hosting, Catherine! 
















Don’t Call It a Loss

 

Wednesday morning became a poem.

Trinkets have over-stayed for grandchildren

now no longer playing with trinkets.

Granddaughters are on a trip.

“I have the day free,” I said to myself.

"I’ll do my walking early,

then get to the task".

I brought all the dishes and baskets

to the kitchen to search for

throwaways. I know the memories

will stay, but 

mystery game pieces,

tiny cars,

plastic spiders,

pretty rocks,

worn plastic people

had to go.

Rocks remain but

now garden strewn.

Here were small bead bracelets 

plastic coins,

two metallic pieces engraved

with ‘love’ and ‘joy’,

plus

pieces of jewelry 

all with a goal

to sparkle a collage –

never made.

I found one mystery,

A tiny red foam ball.

I had no idea why it was kept,

Then I saw the slit.

It was a clown nose,

worn by my young daughter

on Halloween.

I’ll demonstrate

on a beloved sloth

who lives here for the girls

to play again.

Stoic she is,

like this day

when I’m patiently perusing

my memories

And giving my goodbyes.

 

Linda Baie ©





13 comments:

  1. Linda, I like that you turned your giveaway chore into a poem that has deep meaning for me. I try to keep the girls' toys and trinkets in organized bins but when they are here it gets messy. They love their stuffies, babies, and whatnots and often engage in imaginative play that I just love. Will I be sad when they outgrow the childhood friends and objects. I am already so surprised in the difference I see in Sierra since she turned 5 on the 15th. Childhood is a fleeting time of life so I am sure your memory bank is full. After reading the poem, the line: "Trinkets have over-stayed for grandchildren" now carries deeper meaning for me. You have the teenager years to enjoy now. Enjoy the beginning of summer.

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  2. How lovely and bittersweet as weeding the toy stacks is. I have been doing the same. So many good memories...a beautiful collage.

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  3. Awww, a clown nose amid the cleaning out...thank you for sharing this. So many objects are charged with memory...when we downsized it helped me to take pictures of the things I was letting go of. xo

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  4. I don't think I've ever owned a clown nose. But what a cool thing to find and it's so funny on that stuffed animal! I'm sure it took hours to go through that drawer and I'm glad you shared it in a poem as you said "goodbye."

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  5. Very nice poem Linda! I appreciated the clown nose closer. As I sort through the things my kids have, I'm often surprised by the feelings once mundane things have as I get ready to throw them away. And that's why I never throw anything away :)

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  6. Stoic on the outside, maybe, but you're overflowing with love and memories--thanks for sharing them in this poem!

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  7. Linda, This is exactly what I've been doing lately, too. You put it into words so well! The memories are the important things and they stay not matter what. Thankfully, in my case, they are portable as well. I did take some photos of things my boys made or played with before throwing them out so that I can refresh my memories when needed. I hope it was a good task, and in the end, the sloth will serve as a guardian for play at Grandma's.

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  8. What a wonderful way to capture the essence of a visit - by cataloguing the ephemera of the aftermath. The sloth looks adorable in the clown nose!

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  9. Easy to identify with this ritualistic rounding up of the 'remains of the day,' Linda. They are as you note in your poem, forever linked to memories of tasks completed, or otherwise left incomplete. You have captured these grandchildren moments with such clarity.

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  10. A beautiful poem that brought forth the memories of my own. The two tiny Adirondack chairs already too small for a six and eight year old.thanks for posting.

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  11. What a story of love and creativity this poem tells! Good that you did the weeding on a day you had to yourself!!

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  12. Love this line: "And giving my goodbyes."

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  13. I admire your fortitude to be able to part with treasures that hold so many sweet memories, Linda! My house is bursting with "trinkets have over-stayed." My main summer goal is to be brave and wave "my goodbyes" to some of them. Thank you for this encouragement!

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