Sunday Poetry: That Special Undiscovered Something
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.
I’ll confess I’ve spent a lot of time the past weeks discarding things I’ve held on to for years. Clothes. Books. Manuscripts. The list goes on and on. You know you have the makings of a hoarder when much of what you’ve held on to isn’t worth giving away, but must be hidden deep in your trash can, known only to the chomp of the garbage truck as it shreds and compacts what you might once have treasured.
I am happy to say that much of what I’ve gotten rid of did have enough life left to warrant passing on to a new owner. We’ve found many organizations that take donations. Today the Lupus Society carried away an entire front porch of small furniture, bags of useful clothings, knick-knacks. Goodwill has been a recipient, as has our local library and later this week, the Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
When I came across At the Goodwill by Timothy Walsh, I felt that shiver I’ve come to know when a poem seems to have been written for me. Although I doubt Timothy Walsh had me precisely on his mind as he penned this one. But enjoy it, as I did, and see if it resonates for you in the same way.
That spoke to me, and I’m not even a golfer. It’s easy to apply the same thoughts to other once-treasured objects. I don’t think I will ever look at Goodwill in quite the same way I once did. This poem is going to come to mind the next time I browse through a thrift store headed for the used book section. Thanks for sharing.
I love thinking about all the “things” in our lives that we could polish up and give new life to. Even parts of ourselves other people influenced, people gone forever, but who left a piece of themselves and that quality with us. It’s a great poem.
I was thinking about your book Rising Tides tonight while enjoying a rare moment talking to 3 of my 4 sons as we lingered around the kitchen table. I could not remember your name. I found it! with a quick google search. I read it the year before Katrina hit while we were on a camping trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I inhaled it! It was a great read for the drive up north from our home in Toledo…and then I left the copy of it in the campground laundry room near Christmas, Michigan in the hopes that someone else would enjoy it as I had. Whomever found it, found that “undiscovered something special” – what a good book! It gave me a moment of fun and thrill! Thanks so much!
What a nice comment to wake up to. Thank you so much. Hope you read Iron Lace, too, the prequel.