A poem I wrote and needed to bookmark..

[SoCalDem]

I had this saved on my harddrive of the "doorstop" computer.. My son was able to get it to open one last time before the hard drive is replaced..so I was salvaging some things...and wanted to save this ..


figured the writing forum was as good a place as any :)




My Grandmother's Purse


a recipe, yellowed & ragged
written in a long-remembered hand
slips of papers, tossed into a junk drawer
notes pressed between rarely opened pages

an embroidered, neatly folded hankie in a dusty, shelved purse
a 1957 dollar bill tucked into a tattered wallet
left there by sentiment in my Grandmother's purse

a creased valentine from an 8 year old, now past 56
pictures of her at MY age with me...
looking older than her years

a loved one,long gone now, who was so much..
the tangibles that remain.. faded pictures, aged paper, fabric
insignificant stuff lingers..
saved because it's hers

[NuckinFutz]

1. I like this...reminds me of my grandma, too

may I pass it on?

[SoCalDem]

2. sure

:)

[NuckinFutz]

3. Thanks...

I'm thinking of putting it on my blog. Here's what I've written so far...

This little poem brought some memories back for me. For instance, cleaning out my Grandma's and Mom's old purses, looking for old treasures. Back then, the treasures were those of a child: gum, candy, gritty pennies and dimes, lost in the black hole to be deposited in its depths and forgotten, sometimes on purpose, for me to find. Later on, after Grandma and Mom had passed on, the treasures most definitely changed: grocery lists penciled on torn envelopes and cigarette carton pieces, tattered recipes ripped from magazines, tattered address books, wrinkled handkerchiefs, have become the prizes now. Did they know how much of themselves they left behind in those discarded purses?


I credited a messageboard acquaintance for the poem.

[SoCalDem]

4. touching..

:)

[JitterbugPerfume]

5. your poem is very touching

----now I AM a gramma <sigh>

[SoCalDem]

6. Wach what you carry in your purse

someday, others will see what you have saved :)

[petgoat]

7. The details really shine: "a long-remembered hand", a recipe, a

valentine, a 1957 dollar.

"A loved one" though, a Hallmark phrase, detracts. Maybe you can find
other words? Or maybe you don't need to say it--the care of the
observation shows she's a loved one.

"Saved because it's hers" is perfect, and with the recipe in the opening
line frames the piece. A recipe being a piece of family culture passed
down to honor those who went before.

Bravo!

[WCGreen]

8. I loved it in the lounge....

And I love it here.....

[henslee]

9. You are giving me the smilee sniffles.