Beginning with a line by Meghan O'Rourke
I lived in a museum for years
accumulating items: a small statue
of Lincoln I picked up in Springfield,
postcards from my trip to Yellowstone,
toy panda from China, miniature model
of the Washington Monument,
bicentennial jelly glasses from 1976,
the mantle clock I couldn't bear to toss
when it quit working, jigsaw puzzles,
unused pillow cases—their pink roses
and violets embroidered
by Grandmother, boxes of artwork
my children made at school,
kept in the basement
even after a mouse nibbled the corners.
And photos, of course—family, friends
and all the places I've been. I never
got around to labeling anything,
never designed a route around
the house to make sure
a guest would see the all the exhibits.
Now it's time to sell
or give away these priceless objects—
the natural history of my life.
© by Wilda Morris.
Used with the author's permission.
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