Downsizing
Electric hedge trimmer that I forgot I had,
scythe I got from a friend and never used,
old saw and machete:
taking them to the Swap Shop wasn’t hard
along with the clothes that don’t fit
or haven’t been worn in years.
Pictures rescued from old trunks, some still in their
old frames, these will be tearfully dispatched,
even though I don’t know who they are.
Jewelry from my father I’ve never worn.
Who will want all this?
Not the nephew nor the niece (she is taking the china),
not strangers in an antique store or moving sale.
Owl pictures from my brother, pictures I have taken,
more than enough to cover all the walls–these I will
keep, the others, maybe I will ask you
to take them to the dump.
The Raven’s Perch 2016
