Going, Going, Gone

Though once it was an everyday thing,
How long since you've seen a ball of string?
A piece of it pulled from a cone in a store
Would be carried home to use one time more.
Mama would roll it into a big ball.
For a myriad of uses, it was always on call.

Just today I looked for a piece of string
To tie up a plant that would droop and swing.
Not a single piece in the entire house.
I had to tear strips from a worn out blouse.
Balls of string were hoarded by folks who were smart
And foresaw string famine right from the start.
We, the improvident, will never more see them;
Excepting perhaps in a fine arts museum.

By: Joyce 10/11/06