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.
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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!
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