Be careful when you open that old Funk & Wagnalls
(It's the same age as my brother, how did I not know that?)
Gold titles fading on spine and cover
The bindings have seen better days
Every inch of space inside the covers is used
Pronunciation key, foreign sounds, "specimen entries"
My father's name in my mother's handwriting squeezed in front
Abbreviations and weights and measures in the back
Those pressed corsages were my mother's, blackened now
Yellowed plastic containing their fragile petals
From proms or Army balls or Mothers' Days, I don't know
But they were important to her, so they are important to me
Don't throw out that folded napkin in the back!
Open it to find a list of names
Sixteen girl, eleven boy, one for either
To have at the ready for both of our babes
Genders unknown 'til they made their arrivals
So be careful when you open that old Funk & Wagnalls
(It's the same age as my brother, how did I not know that?)
Gold titles fading on spine and cover
The bindings have seen better days.
I love this! I think we all have a special book in our bookshelf with some of these exact things. So precious and sentimental. You described the items with such detail! I really like how you started and ended with the same stanza. Great slice!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully rendered. How compelling is the repetition of the dictionary being the same age as your brother and your not knowing (point to ponder: He is still relevant, so the dictionary is still relevant. Never mind the age of content!). I could not throw the memories out either ... I have my grandmother's vintage two-volume New Century Dictionary on my bookshelf. So much more than words, yes.
ReplyDeleteThis poem made me think about how we can take ordinary items and make them significant. I'm sure you are a book lover (as am I), and there isn't a better way to tie wonderful memories with items that we already love the most. Thank you for crafting this imagery.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic poem! It transported me back to all of the hardcover dictionaries I owned as a kid. (Now, a dictionary is just an app on my phone. Times sure have changed.)
ReplyDeleteStepping back into time and using repetition are two formats that helped your poem gather steam and finish strong, Chris. Great job. I always loved my dictionary and still rely on it but now in digital format.
ReplyDelete