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Past Life in the Attic
| Open Poetry #5 |
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Past Life in the Attic |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA 
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There's a past life in my attic Stashed in boxes on the floor Days gone by but not forgotten Of the life I knew before. Keepsakes kept in cardboard coffins Knick-knacks not so long ago Keys to treasure chests of memories Of a life I used to know. Photographs in faded albums, Matchbook covers by the score, Styles of clothing so outrageous That I can't believe I wore. Every artifact I've hoarded Triggers magic at my touch Of those times long since forgotten Which I once had loved so much. There are letters from old sweethearts, Cards from lovers I had known Who, by now, have long since married And have children of their own. Baseball gloves and scented candles, Rings of keys to unknown locks, Treasures from my adolescence Now resigned to cardboard box. I am asked, upon occasion, To clean out and start anew, Take my past life to the trash heap... Something I will never do. There are times when life gets heavy, Back starts aching from the load And a soul needs santuary So that it will not explode. At those times, I climb the ladder, Face takes on a peaceful glow As I go once more to visit That past life I used to know. |
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| © Copyright 2000 Michael Mack - All Rights Reserved | |||
Marge Tindal 
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Oh, Balladeer- Right up my alley (or attic). How I love to plunder through nostalgia. Does anybody but me care? Nah, but someday they may. Thank you for this wonderful musing. ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ noles1@totcon.com |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Oh, I wish I had an attic for all my treasures from the past. Loved the imagery in this the thought behind it--and the ending was perfect. In the dew of little things, the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. (ee cummings) |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
LOL @ those clothes though. I have pictures of some of those I can't believe I wore either. Great poem Balladeer! <*\\\>< Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is peace. Where there is peace, there is GOD. Where there is GOD, there is no need. Hallmark |
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Andrew Scott Member Elite
since 1999-06-24
Posts 2558Redlands,CA,USA |
Sir Balladeer: Young as I still believe I am, I too have a few of those boxes. Within are many things that bring back wonderful and sometimes painful memories... but they help me retain a sence of who I was and how I became the person I am today. Once again, you have openned a window to the world with a beautiful view. Thank you for sharing. |
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Kevin
since 1999-11-02
Posts 729Torrington, Ct, Usa |
must be pretty tough figuring out a way to top yourself day in and day out ball this was too good |
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RobertB Senior Member
since 1999-09-26
Posts 1104Champaign, IL |
yep.....my grandparents had this huge attic in their old farm house. It was so cool. Like one big time capsule! Robert |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
You've been in my attic, my Deer??? It certainly seems it.. I have to agree with Kevin here, too... How do you manage to do this so consistently? You continue to amuse me, my friend...  |
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suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
What a delight! *S* Great one, Balladeer! |
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Lost Dreamer Member Elite
since 1999-06-20
Posts 2464Somewhere near the Rainbow |
Thank you for shining the light and sharing your treasure chest of past memories you keep for special times. I too have more boxes of memories than I have furniture at this point in time. My husband thinks I'm a pack rat, but everything has a reason or a symbolism to me. |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
Balladeer, I face an attic full of boxes stacked high, keepsakes from my children of days gone by. Masterpieces all, inkblots and clay blobs, reminders of adulthood and all that it robs. So much that a storage space is now required, for downsizing lives that became too mired. The splitting of assets is what is done, do I surrender this painting of a house and sun? Will he care for this stuff, packed with care, or lose it one day, forget that it's there? When my children have children of their own, will they pass these on, from home to home? Or are the real memories stored elsewhere deep in the heart, in a place called forever? Corinne |
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Shrinking Violet Junior Member
since 1999-12-20
Posts 35 |
My attic is under the bed and I will not get rid of one bittersweet item there. Thank you for your gift of expression that allows me to be in touch with the past I have learned from. |
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Marilyn Member Elite
since 1999-09-26
Posts 2621Ontario, Canada |
These precisous things are nothing more, Then triggers to our past. The memories, they are forescore, And burried in our heart. The scarf you wore still holds your scent, When brought up to my nose. The pictures vivid, of time spent, Run rampant through my mind. You think these bobbles are just that, To me a mem'ry each. To throw them out there with the rats, Is to throw me out as well. [This message has been edited by Marilyn (edited 01-16-2000).] |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Marge....others do care, believe me. Martie...your appreciation always makes me feel good. WhtDove...ain't it the truth! I'm selling my leisure suits to Ron! Andrew...you are absolutely right. Our keepsakes are indeed a roadmap of what roads we've traveled and how we got to be who we are. Thank you. Kevin...I DO run out of ideas but then I eat a can of vienna sausages, go to bed, and usually wake up with something! RobertB...Exactly. Attics are indeed time capsules from the past and history classrooms. Nan....your amusement is always a top priority with me  Suthern...your words are always a wonderful sight (if they don't contain the word "Toe") LOL! Corinne...great poetic response. Space is always a problem for sure. As far as the true memories residing in the heart...yes, they do but there are times they can get glazed over with the present, problems, worries, frustrations so much that it is easy to lose track of them without visible reminders. That's why songs, for example, can trigger so many memories when we hear them. Memories can get buried in the heart and we need a key to release them. Thank you for a wonderful response. Violet...Atta girl! Don't get rid of a thing. Thank you. Marilyn...you are so right. What we are is what we were and the two are inseperable. A terrific response. I thank you. [This message has been edited by Balladeer (edited 01-16-2000).] |
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Denise
Moderator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-08-22
Posts 22648 |
I don't have an attic but this sure sounds like my basement!! Can't throw a thing away...it would be like throwing a piece of my soul away....especially those keys!!! As soon as you would throw them away you'd find out real quick what they were for!!!hehehehe.. GREAT POEM, BALLADEER, AND NOT A MINUTE TOO SOON!! ....ahhhh...now I feel better! Denise And slight is the sting of his trouble Whose winnings are less than his worth; For he who is honest is noble, Whatever his fortunes or birth.~~~Alice Cary, ~Nobility~ |
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Michael
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-13
Posts 7666California |
Interesting thought...you have a past life in the attic you like to go visit and I have a past life I would like to just leave there. Wanna trade? Great poem, Balladeer. Michael |
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Rus Bowden Member
since 2000-01-13
Posts 139 |
Hi Balladeer, Those physical triggers of my memories are in my basement. Loved the clothes. I thought of my old record albums too. But we all have that ladder to our attic. Thank you for this metaphor. Love it. Rus |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Balladeer, Now you know in florida we don't have attics or basements, I'll bet all your stuff is in the garage. Wonderful poem. Sy |
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devina Member Elite
since 1999-10-28
Posts 3539Cali |
Geez- Deer, didn't think you had anything left after that big garage sale you had awhile back Now we know the truth- you kept some stuff stashed away huh!?LOL cute poem!Open arms can be the most fragile in the world... |
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U K Hero Member
since 1999-08-08
Posts 266England |
I've spent many an hour in an attic, lovely poem Balladeer |
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RainbowGirl Member Elite
since 1999-07-31
Posts 3023United Kingdom |
Bal: How about we all share each other's boxes...LOL HUSG Don't ask me where I'm going, just listen when I'm gone and far away you'll hear me singing softly to the dawn. |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Balladeer, what a lovely poem. We all have the boxes, some are physical, others are only storge spaces in the attic of our minds |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Wow - caught again in another of your voices...thankyou for this M. K |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Michael, what is in your attic is in my every room little bits and pieces of me and stories woven from Sy's loom. Some cardboard coffins in my basement but high from water's level, stuff tucked here and there in other places neat and kept and not disheveled. But were I to have an attic large and spacious, "Jo's closet" close at hand... then I would take me up there often just to visit memory's land. [Thanks Deer, for all of the visual reads...] Sunshine Look, then, into thine heart, and write ~~~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |
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Danny Holloway Member Elite
since 2000-01-15
Posts 2034Tulsa, OK |
"The past life I used to know". I think we all had one, tucked away in those boxes. They say its in the remembering that happiness lies. Seems true to me. Really enjoyed the peom. You touched some reality. DH |
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fc Member
since 2000-01-18
Posts 130 |
not me, I throw everything away, cept one box of the kids stuff from school....too many things I don't want to remember...but this poem is wonderful, makes me want to sit in your attic and share your memories |
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Alwye
Moderator
Member Elite
since 1999-06-16
Posts 3850In the space between moments |
Ah, Mr. Deer, this is wonderful! I love it! It makes me want to keep everything I have so I can treasure it when the years have passed by. It also makes me wish my parents or grandparents would have kept such things for me to discover. Exellent work, as always. *Krista Knutson* ~*Like a lion, without fear of the howling pack, Like a gust of wind, ne'er trapped in a snare, Like a lotus blossom, ne'er sprinkled by water, Let me, like a unicorn, in solitude roam.*~ Hymn Of Buddha |
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Sonny Junior Member
since 1999-12-18
Posts 29Schenectady, NY, USA |
What a wonderful poem. Even though these are not my memories, I feel as though I can share yours. It's a feeling most of us have and you do us an honor to express it so vividly with your mastery of words. I love it. Sonny |
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PhaerieChild Senior Member
since 1999-08-30
Posts 1787Aloha, Oregon |
Balladeer, even though my "attic" is a walk in closet right now I don't think I could part with a thing. Not even the old clothes that just maybe someday will come back into style LOL. Thanks for helping me remember the memories Poetry~ Words falling on paper, painting a dream. Shawna R. Holder Boise, Idaho |
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HelmutB Senior Member
since 2000-01-06
Posts 964Canada |
I don't know how this one slipped by me you must have kept it hidden so I could not see perhaps it was in the attic where you keep the odd thing but one thing for your memories...always fun they bring (had to make it fit) As always nice to read your work  < !signature-->The ability to describe life with words is similar to painting a picture; both can be powerful tools. [This message has been edited by HelmutB (edited 01-19-2000).] |
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Echo Rhayne Senior Member
since 1999-09-17
Posts 1495Canyon Country, CA |
ROLFMAPMP...BRAVO ~*~ ^i^ ~*~ Love is such a lonely art, and death is but a taste. Minds are merely instruments that often go to waste! ~*~ ^i^ ~*~ |
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Earthtones Junior Member
since 2000-01-18
Posts 10 |
I was truely touched by your poem! My father and I have moved house often, and when it comes to throwing away the past, I just can't bring my self to do it! We are today, what the past has made us. p.s. like that part about the clothes! |
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Paul Hoekman Member
since 1999-12-28
Posts 382Harwinton Ct. U>S>A> |
What is the record for posts on one poem? This has got to be close. Oh by the way now I know why this is a great one! |
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simplyYRREHS Member
since 2000-01-03
Posts 162 |
OH WOW, Deer...I'd comment on your poem, but I have to make a mad dash up my own ladder now. Wonderful reflection on the pasts we all store, in one way or another. Enjoyed this very much! Sherry"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." ~Henry David Thoreau |
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One Who Understands Member
since 2000-01-20
Posts 251Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
Excellent...I know I feel this way and it makes me cry every time You have touched many souls with this one |
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rosepetals25
since 2000-05-31
Posts 3076PA |
Balladeer, I understand this well I am a total pack rat! lol. Now, there are drawbacks to that, like not having enough room to put anything *chuckles*. I refuse to throw it away however, each thing I keep has it's own past and history. It nice to visit those places every now and then. I enjoyed Hugs, Tara "My heart is like an open book, for the whole world to read" |
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