Susan Patterson circa 1955
Clearing Out the Clutter
I am happily putting away childish things.
Things like the jack-in-the-box
That frightened me so many times,
But that I still kept winding up
To see if it came out the same.
I'm putting away the cat's cradle string that I
Bound myself to so tightly, I could not let go.
Away goes the ball that I had when I so often said,
'It's mine and if you won't play the
Way I want, I will take it and go home.'
Out go the toy traumas in boxes, some of
Which are in the original packing material.
The top that spun me around for years
Has been stopped.
I'm putting away happy toys too. A few of them
I've never wanted to share, but now they are
Too old to play with.
I've saved too many relics from my childhood.
There are fears and hurts and hopes and dreams
That need to be put into their rightful spot.
It's time to do so, maybe passed time.
It's getting late.
Mom and Dad would be so pleased
That I am finally cleaning up the place.
Susan Patterson
And now the audio of Clearing Out the Clutter
Discussion…
Clearing Out the Clutter, of course, is a poem about an adult realizing that it is time to release some childhood thoughts, beliefs and, perhaps, behaviors. Some of us tend to hang on to things way too long. This person has come to understand that becoming an adult is simply a matter of not letting his childhood understandings determine his adult behaviors. The metaphor of the toys is just another way of listing what frightened him and what he depended upon. The person in the poem could be any of us. It was me when I let go of something that frightened me since my childhood.
Let Me Recommend… Persephone Books, Ltd.
Persephone Publishing reprints neglected fiction and non-fiction writers (mostly women) of the mid-twentieth century. Their collection of 100 books is intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully written. Not only that, but, each book is a luscious example of publishing art. The book covers are all plain soft grey, with a small number on the back cover, telling us which book it is in the collection The end page paper is specifically chosen to reflect the era of the story. Then, to top it all off, a book mark is included that matches the end pages. Furthermore, Persephone choose very high quality paper. So if you don't want to read the book, you can just sit and feel the paper and get almost as much enjoyment. (Oh, my!) Their catalogues are a joy as well. You will want to order books just to get the catalogue. Examples of the books in their collection are Miss Buncle's Book,
The Making of a Marchioness and Flush. They are located in London, which is way too bad for those of us not in the area. We could visit their stop! I could go on about their events, sales, and such, but take a look for yourself. Their web site is http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/ Better than Kindle! Let me know what you think. skp
The Making of a Marchioness and Flush. They are located in London, which is way too bad for those of us not in the area. We could visit their stop! I could go on about their events, sales, and such, but take a look for yourself. Their web site is http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/ Better than Kindle! Let me know what you think. skp
Susan reading to her audience at Victoria Tea Festival, Victoria British Columbia, Canada
Cheery-bye!
RSS Feed