Thursday 2 July 2009

The Auction

Silver speckled tea set,
angular handles,
curved spout,
fine letters engraved
on the underside.
And me,
sitting in the garden
aged four or five,
pouring air and dust
and dreams
into a cup, offering it
to my imaginary friend.
Sold for £150.

Mahogany bookcase,
deep shelves,
bobbled pattern,
thick lines carved
into wood coloured like
rich autumn leaves.
And Granddad
sifting through books,
mind roaming,
questioning Descartes
and Plato
and Rousseau.
Sold for £50.

Raggedy Ann doll,
white dotted
cobalt blue dress,
straight red yarn hair
that frames her
child drawn face.
And Nana
in 1923,
slumped on the floor
crying and
cuddling and
whispering that she
was her only friend.
Sold for £85.

Metal sewing thimble,
slate coloured,
thin lines imprinted
around the edge
alongside
T.W.
And Ma,
holding brown thread,
to sew badges onto
my brownies sash,
frowning and
cursing and shouting
that the thread
just won't go through.
Sold for £100.

All these objects,
this junk,
this stuff,
my stuff
now sits in another garden,
another house
in other hands.
While I'm left
with nothing but
memories.
Only they can't be sold.

8 comments:

  1. I actually smiled reading this...you've got such a natural flair for writing :)
    I'm so glad to have come across your blog, this is exactly what I was looking for.
    Keep it up, I'll be visiting frequently!
    I wish you every success as a writer; you certainly deserve it :)

    xxx

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  2. Wow, thanks for the lovely comment! I loved your poetry too, keep going with it. It's an endless learning process (unfortunately). This poem, i feel, is work in progress. But aren't they all?!

    Welcome to my blog. Thanks for following :) x

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  3. I love your blog, especially your poetry and the little quotes on the right side. Inspiring! If you're at all interested in helping me with an idea, take a look at my blog entitled "project poetry." It's kind of a strange and unique plan, but I hope that the poets of the world will begin to contribute and we'll be able to inspire many, just as your work has inspired me.

    I'm definitely going to follow your blog and look for more of your work in the future!

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  4. project poetry: thanks for following! I'm pleased you enjoyed my work but even if you didn't please comment. I am constantly looking for constructive criticism. All comments welcome. I'll take a look at your blog too :)

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  5. i thought dis was a great poem.
    it was really well written and original.
    i usually try to leave some constructive criticism but i dobt tink i have any for dis particular poem.
    im following and il definatly read more and comment

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  6. Hey Paul, welcome to my blog. Thanks for the comment :)

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  7. Your poem is beautiful. I love reading and writing but never cared much for poetry - except for funny stuff like "Casey at the Bat" and "Abdul the Bulbul Ameer." Your poem speaks to me, though, I'd like to hear more. Your blog is very interesting, I plan to follow. Check out my reviews - I appreciate constructive criticism. http://frontporchreads.blogspot.com

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  8. Thanks Rosemary. I'm glad my poetry speaks to you. I know how hard it is to find poetry that does that, so i'm honoured that it's one of mine! I'll check out your blog now! :)

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