The Snares Of Yesterday

Cardboard coffins that once held dreams
preserve the collectibles that now are trash,
what looked like treasure
when buying that souvenir on a trip
is now some mangled mess in a box,
another memory crushed and crumbled.

Ten years of that, "it looks so cool,
got to have it,"
then it ends up buried in the closet
had left us a litany of head scratching moments
spent trying to decide
if this thing we couldn’t even recognize
was now trash or jewel.

The rule being when in doubt
keep it in case of emergency
although having no idea
how a giant pink plastic fly swatter
as big as a frying pan
and bought from this Stuckey’s truck stop,
truly qualified as valuable.

Naturally there were the additional items
you can’t do without when moving,
have to buy new dishes, pots and pans
linens, throw rugs, plus plants,
yet can’t get rid of the old ones
in the event some alien cooties attack
who totally devour the things purchased.

That was my son’s explanation
for needing to keep an old worn out baseball glove,
which doesn’t really fit,
but he got in a trade for marbles
his cousin had convinced him at one time
were really magic beans.