Ephemera
This small frayed basket holds
buttons, coins, small stones,
other ephemera
reminders of people, places,
events and experiences
a life in trinkets
each one a tiny TARDIS
Thread the string between your fingers
to bring back childhood
(though you can't play Cat's Cradle alone)
Hold tight the wooden nickel,
rubbed nearly smooth as you
remember Niagara's spray
Flick the top, watch it spin
then flip over to show
the Knoxville World's Fair logo
Balance the small stones from Tibet
into a mini cairn, as you dream
of Lhasa and the bluest sky
Grab the Wade turtle and duck,
set them by the saucer as you sip
your not Red Rose tea, toasting your grandmother
Worry the gray stone engraved
with the word PEACE
that no longer sits with the other
bits and bobs
but lives as a prayer in your pocket
Since the word wish figured so prominently in the image, I decided to try a triolet or two focused on wishes. Here are two untitled poems.
Wish Triolet 1
It’s absurd to wish upon a stone
that will weather, crack, and break
other rituals aren’t unknown
it’s absurd to wish upon a stone
instead blow out candles on your cake
let shooting stars keep you awake
It’s absurd to wish upon a stone
that will weather, crack, and break
Wish Triolet 2
Send your wish into the world
for love and truth and peace
on dandelions, blown and twirled
send your wish into the world
on stars your prayers release
or a fountain’s worth increase
Send your wish into the world
for love and truth and peace
Poems ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2017. All rights reserved.
You can read the poems written by my poetry sisters at the links below. And Andi's back! She's back!
I do hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by Kathryn Apel. Happy poetry Friday friends.
"but lives as a prayer in your pocket" AH.... What a lovely wistful way to end a lovely, wistful poem. (Also: I worked near the World's Fair site that year---I wonder if our paths crossed??) I also marvel that you had time for TWO triolets, which work beautifully. For "having a hard time" you sure pulled through, Tricia!
ReplyDelete"each one a tiny TARDIS" - cool! Lovely the way you've highlighted each object and given us a taste of the precious memories. I love collecting little tidbits too - and rocks are particularly good for this. Your triolets are uplifting too - I've really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDelete"lives as a prayer in your pocket" -- I love this ending to what is essentially a list poem -- so lovely. And then you just threw out a few triolets too???? Overachiever!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh - that's right. That stone in your pocket is a prayer. What a beautiful gathering of thoughts, right to the finish. I have little gatherings of treasure like this, bits and bobs of Where I Was and What I Did, and I like that the prayer stone is mobile, instead of homebound. May our prayers also go out into the world...
ReplyDeleteAnd I laugh that our minds went the same place with wishing on rocks!!
Oh my goodness, Tricia, you've outdone yourself this month. Those details in the Ephemera--so much of YOU and your life in those words. And then the final thought. Wow. And the triolets are lovely, too. I really love that form. I especially liked the second one--those images of dandelions and fountains and wishes felt so...celebratory and sparkly and hopeful. All those little bits hurtling into the world, hoping for the best.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I bought a small shelf for the ephemera of my childhood that somehow has survived through countless opportunities to be tossed away as unimportant junk. Each is indeed a mini Tardis, and perhaps they deserve their own poem(s). You inspire me!
ReplyDeleteWe all have a basket like that (or two or three)--and I loved traveling in your tiny TARDISes with you. I do wonder what Wade turtles and ducks are, and I love the last stanza, to carry peace with you in your pocket.
ReplyDeleteThis is so much goodness and hope in all of these. Your first poem reminds me of The Matchbox Diary where the grandpa pulls out little boxes of ephemera and tells the stories behind them to his grandson. Our stories are so important. We must continue to wish, because without wishes, we would not have hope. Beautiful poems!
ReplyDeleteI love the memories evoked by that bowl of ephemera, each a tiny Tardis.
ReplyDelete