Monday 8 July 2019

Countdown to College




A hodgepodge carton of books and soft toys -
a whale, a dolphin, teddies, the Gruffalo
tucked away in a higher shelf because
you stopped needing, reading them, years ago
when you were five or six. Children outgrow
all their stuff quicker than mothers. I pause
the decluttering, though I know, I know
everything must go, boys are only boys

for a finite time. Yet I cannot bring
myself to throw away a single thing.
Some childhood remains in these residues
in soft toys for which you’ve no further use,
old and matted, beaded eyes coming loose;
in well-thumbed pages you’ve finished reading.







10 comments:

  1. Oh yes. Remnants of childhood and precious memories. So very hard to discard, despite the memories needing no shelf space.

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    1. Memories = no shelf space, mementos = clutter, can't get behind that equation even though I try hard :)

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  2. My mother kept a lot of it which means I have toys over fifty years old now, including a talking bear that still works. And I'm glad she saved them.

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    1. Wow! That is indeed priceless, must feel so good to look over them now.

      My mother kept a lot too, great fun to go over them with her grandkid.

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  3. Lovely poignant poem. You can clear when you are ready...or never. Keep a box and give to him when he's older and married. We did that and trust me, his wife appreciates the sentimental pieces and shows their kids. It's OKAY!!!

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    1. Never seems to be the probable scenario. :)

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  4. Hari OM
    That one box in the attic... rediscovery and adventure. Yes. It's okay. YAM xx

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    1. Have box. Have no possibility of attic :) But will find some space somewhere no doubt. Where there's a will n all that.

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  5. Hi Nila - yes we all move on ... I asked my mother to keep things - but she mostly ditched the lot ... can't blame her as none of us had kids ... and perhaps has made things easier.

    But you've some wise ideas here - particularly Joanne's ... so hold on to a few ... letters and photos in particular ... adulthood comes to us all - cheers Hilary

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    1. Yeah, no escaping adulthood...comes round way too fast. I loved Joanne's ideas too!

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