April is National Poetry Month. When was the last time you read a poem? Really read it.
March 28, 2013 My mom and I were cleaning out my Great Aunt Velma's home. She had passed. I had flown in from Washington to spend the week with my mom in Holyoke, Colorado, cleaning out one extraordinary life.
This was one of the hardest and most joyful clean outs I've every done. My aunt Velma was a curious soul. Most of her home was thoughtful and simple...except when it came to words and memories. Letters, cards, post cards, books, newspapers, articles, pictures, notes...these were kept in abundance. My mom and I work well together but this was tough!
As we were going through piece by piece, mindful to honor our aunt and also needing to be timely because we only had a week. It was emotional and draining. Were we getting rid of too much, not enough? Were we honoring our aunt, who was so much more than the things left here? I don't know, we were doing our best. And then we got to the old china/desk cabinet. As we were cleaning out, we found this poem taped to the side. From here on we knew we were doing just fine. We will forever be grateful to the one who left this note. We guess it was Aunt Velma...but who knows maybe it was from her mom our Great Grandma Biddle or???
This is one poem that changed my life and I read...really read. We danced to this poem! It released us from doubt.
I would be glad of fingers
Not too ruthless
but impersonal
would weed out little keepsakes
I have kept for years
Scrapbook poems
letters, useless gifts
Once dear with sentiment
greeting cards
and other bits of old remembering
I have no need of them
They clutter up my desk
But once I start
to clear them out
and pause to look at them
my hands are stayed
Nor can I bring myself
to throw one single thing away!
I would be glad of fingers
tender but impersonal
would throw my little
Long kept things
Away
Written by: Lou…… (un-readable)
