a poem
for lost things
(behind the desk edition)
prescription eyeglasses
photo book of grandchildren
heart stickers
rolodexย
original watercolor painting (unframed, 4 x 6)
paper clips
bugs (dead and alive)
receipts
cosmetics, lots of cosmetics (two entire boxes)
bic pens and lonesome lids
a wooden fan (intricately carved with a red yarn tassel)
Ziploc bags
a pair of Venus earrings
cup
spatula
coupons (expired of course)
business cards
acrylic paint (white)
thank you notes
button
cobwebs
stamped, addressed, unsent mail
pushpins
rubber bandsย
photographs from 20 years agoย
rubber bandsย
magnifying glass
rubber bands
credit card (not expired, hope somebody canceled that one?)
the remains of rubber bands
velcro wall hangers
scotch tape
white out
thank you notes from beloved friendsย
plastic eyeglass case (three of them)
more stickers
magic marker
two-ounce plastic cup with a white lid
appointment reminder
popcorn kernel
toothpick
okay, enough toothpicks for an appetizer party
a tumbler
unopened mail
brochures
a penny
ยฉ Eileen Campbell-Reed (July 2023)
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Sometimes to help out a friend, we reach into places that they cannot in the moment reach. And we take care of things that they cannot take care of alone. Such a moment was the occasion and inspiration for this poem.
In how much of life do we leave a trail of lost things… in our homes, cars, and workplaces? Scattered or collected, lost things tell stories. Yet not always a story we can know.
If these poems evoke a story for you? Then let it be so.
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a poem
for lost, missing,
and broken things
broken ceramic spoon, in three pieces
shells
acorns
half a blue plastic (be)st (fri)end heart
clear droplets to remind me of my baptism
a locket with my daughterโs name and tiny photos inside of us, of her and her best friend
quartz crystal
baby Jesus from a king cake
an eraser
cork pad from the bottom of my spoon rest
buttons, pink and white
an earring found after party
red flattened marbles – droplets of blood or fire?
three loose screws
marbles
a wooden peg from a dining room chair
key ring, no keys
paint chip
more shells and acorns
a spring
Michael Kors emblem off someoneโs purse โ not mine
a game piece
broken plastic, black
a fossil, trilobite
more tabs off picture frames or a spoon rest
a jagged rock
a straight pin with a tiny shell on top
a plastic rhinestone
three or four more loose screws
dirt
a jump ring
a fancy pendant
a plastic Oreo with one bite missing
a leather orange webbed duck foot
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What do we do with the lost, missing, and broken pieces of our lives?
In 2019 my theme for the year was #receiveandrelease. Discerning what to receive and what to release was the work of each day, each yoga practice, and countless other moments … today Iโm honing in on my 2020 theme.
ยฉ Eileen Campbell-Reed (January 2020)
