The Antique Road Show came to town!
\nEveryone brought a treasure,
\nbottles, old plates, cups of blue enamel,
\nthe memoirs of the local grocer.
\nAnything that looked ancient,
\nyellow, had mildew in the seams,
\nstood crookedly,
\ngleamed with amber,
\nheld a clouded mirror.
\nA show with the master appraisers
\npraising their beauty,
\nfingering delicately wrought iron,
\neyeing the owners,
\npensive, holding their breaths,
\nwringing their hands,
\nwaiting for the judgment.
\nThe price,
\nthe ultimate value of the dead,
\nthe artifact,
\nthe junk,
\nthe ugly aunt of a dish.
\nAnd with a flourish
\nof great gravitas,
\nthe appraiser considered the discarded wreckage,
\ngold trimmed,
\nsilvery with tarnish,
\nand asks of the owner,
\nDo you have any idea what it\u2019s worth?<\/p>\n
And I,
\ncommit the ultimate blasphemy!
\nWith a flick of my hand,
\nfreezing the scaffold\u2019s lever,
\n(sparing my neck the ultimate adornment of a noose)
\nturn the television off
\nand say to the absent audience,
\nIt\u2019s worth as much as your heart,
\nstuffed with dreams,
\nwormy with tears,
\ncolored with April.
\nPoems waiting in your soul
\nto be written
\nyour eyes, fabulous stars
\nglittering with hope.
\nYour face a burnished Buddha,
\nand I archaeologist of the new,
\ngive a king\u2019s ransom for your smile,
\nyour joy,
\nthe unchipped veneer of your hope,
\nand call your someday\u2019s antique, priceless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Antique Road Show came to town! Everyone brought a treasure, bottles, old plates, cups of blue enamel, the memoirs of the local grocer. Anything…<\/p>\n