Things Piled Up
Yes, A legal paper posted on a door holds gravitas.
Yes, the sunny sidewalk accumulates an inventory.
Yes, the long shadows go out from the soiled mattresses and a crib.
Things piled up:
A framed photo minus the two persons’ names.
A blue bureau missing knobs.
A stained couch that lost its cushions.
A kitchen table once painted white.
A stuffed bear sitting on a three-legged chair.
in a faded Yale sweatshirt, sleeves cut.
One small child’s shoe without its mate.
A dime and 2 shiny pennies.
Things piled up: sickness?
layoffs?
bills?
arguments?
The night always holds her secrets,
paints a veneer over many things.
This is plausible. Yes, this is plausible.
that these things are taken away:
The locks click-click onto the doorknobs.
The scavengers’ voices picking over the remains.
The tree with the song bird silent as a broken clock.
Sandy McGarry April 14, 2023
