Lost and Found

The Writer’s Cramp
7-10-04
The New Prompt is:
Write a story or a poem about the treasures you find while cleaning your domicile.

The key that I lost
the twenty-second of May
The phone bill I got
just yesterday
And when I moved the sofa
lo and behold
Popcorn and peanuts
several days old
An earring, a penny
and maybe a dime
And an old, discarded
ball of blue twine
One room to the next
moving and shaking
Fixing and mending
not a pause am I taking
The umbrella I bought
for a rainy day
In the back of a closet
safely packed away
Old things and new things
blue things and green
Things long forgotten
thought never to be seen
My legs become weary
my arms start to ache
I've been at this too long
it's time for a break
In the back of the fridge
what’s this I see
A single red rose
that was sent to me
One single rose
its fragrance still sweet
A memory -
intact and complete
Dusting forgotten
cleaning be damned
Time stands still -
there’s a rose in my hand