Search This Blog

Thursday, 5 July 2012

Attic Treasure

Attic Treasure

Into the headspace of the house
Unwitting keeper of our careless clutter
Silently sitting above us all these years
Among wires, pipes and tanks
Within piles of soft loft lagging
Lie cases and cardboard boxes
Which hold precious memories
Long suppressed, but not forgotten 

Through cobwebby threads
And the mustiness of dust
A time-capsule of bygones
Are the things of yesteryear
Which were so important many years ago
Hurriedly stashed and stored
With the best of intentions
Against some hoped-for bright new future
That did not came to pass 

There, right at the back
Where the light barely penetrates
Almost hidden from view
The baby’s cot in white-and-blue
Stacked in sections under the eaves
Paint pitted and peeling
Its patterns still visible, but faded
Like the memory of a young life lost early 

Toys casually collected
In the course of a shortened childhood
And kept in memoriam
A model boat, its torn sail hanging loose
A doll that still sits staring, unsmiling
Records and tapes collecting dust
Books with jackets torn
And piles of her clothing
Quickly removed from her bedroom
And the rest of the house
Tearfully pushed out of sight
And out of mind
Before you came home again
So that you should not see them anymore


Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2012

No comments: