Fateful Finds
I found poetry on the radio
and moons that dangled
like carrots on sticks
I found God in a picture frame
at the top of the stairs
and a book of fairytales
in a house that is gone
I found rusted metal
butterfly wings
that I keep with a picture
of my older sister
I found a pill
I couldn’t swallow
and a footnote
too small to read
I found a vase unearthed
from a backyard dump
Brown like a potato
that survived the blight
Dug from a swamp
that freezes in winter
and carried from house to house
it holds dried flowers
that never wilt
I still find pennies in the dustpan
but not the dimes
that I wanted to put in loafers
to wear in Mrs. Neville’s class
to take off under my desk
because summer
was never long enough
Because summer
was never long enough
and our winter mittens
never matched
Our knee socks slipped down
around our ankles
waiting in the cold
at the school bus stop
where I later dreamt
of German shepherds
that wouldn’t let me pass
Today I walked down
another long driveway
was stopped by an ice puddle
A Narnia window
A fairy godmother’s oracle
too small to skate on
I stood my ground
on the spiraled path
born of contrast
and the art of opposites
that rippled out
and froze in place
It restored my faith
in a graceful truth
A hardened view
destined to melt
A slip of fate
made beautiful
________Colleen Redman / Poets and Storytellers United / dVerse Poets Pub
January 14th, 2022 1:43 am
What a gift you have for finding magical treasures! I’m especially glad you found the poetry.
January 14th, 2022 3:45 am
born of contrast
and the art of opposites
that rippled out
and froze in place…
Love these lines… so good!
January 14th, 2022 6:43 am
Un-matched mittens?!? Whod’a thunkit?
Meisterwork, CR. Thanks.
January 14th, 2022 11:36 am
A “Superb Reading” for my eyes and mind this morning. We all need to take stock of the things and ideas we find. Memories would be revived in the doing, I’m sure yours was.
..
January 14th, 2022 2:53 pm
I am of the utmost belief … this is my favorite Colleen poem, ever.
January 14th, 2022 3:06 pm
A visit to your blog always leaves me feeling good, Colleen. This poem is a gem … and I hope you won’t mind that I borrowed a bit of your wardrobe for my little ditty. Somehow it kept ringing in my head! Thank you.
January 14th, 2022 3:39 pm
The right unexpected treasure at the right time has its own special sort of magic, just like this piece does.
January 14th, 2022 5:13 pm
so many great lines in this, love the sublime feel of it
January 15th, 2022 10:55 pm
Loved the imagery in the poem. It feels like a slow walk on a winter’s day. 🙂
January 16th, 2022 1:13 pm
“A slip of fate
made beautiful”
That sounds like a wonderful gift. A gift we don’t know the worth of, at first site.
January 17th, 2022 4:53 pm
There’s quite a few gems found here.
January 17th, 2022 9:00 pm
This whole poem is a treasure to read! So many outstanding lines.
January 19th, 2022 12:12 pm
This is a beautiful poem. So many awesome lines and descriptions. I especially like the moon dangling like a carrot and God in a picture frame
January 20th, 2022 5:09 pm
This is a lovely train of thoughts that leads to that great end… just love it.
January 20th, 2022 5:16 pm
Really beautiful, and evocative..
January 20th, 2022 5:31 pm
Each stanza is like a little framed image. Lovely!
January 20th, 2022 6:59 pm
Oh my heart this is incredibly deep and poignant!
January 20th, 2022 7:43 pm
A wonderful evocation of the little things that make a life.
January 20th, 2022 9:48 pm
Each stanza is so beautiful and thought-provoking, life is a game of lost and found, but in the end, if we can just soften, we see the meaning! ?
January 21st, 2022 4:04 am
An evocative piece, loved it!
January 21st, 2022 1:37 pm
This reads like stream-of-consciousness reflection. Each stanza is a mini-picture…
I was especially smitten with this one:
“I still find pennies in the dustpan
but not the dimes
that I wanted to put in loafers
to wear in Mrs. Neville’s class
to take off under my desk
because summer
was never long enough”
So glad you posted this!