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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Monday, May 9, 2011

Sugar

Playing dress-up
With Nana's jewelery
When I was a kid
Rooting through dresser drawers
For baubles and trinkets
To pose in front of her gilded mirror

Tucked away
Under some handkerchiefs and scarves
And the ever present scented soap
I spy an old shoebox
A treasure too tempting for little hands
Not to open

Inside I find
Not money
Or jewels
Or even boring, old letters
But packets of sugar
Probably hundreds of them
Like the kind they have at restaurants

I run to Nana
Giggling
Ask why do you have a bunch of sugar 
In a box
In your dresser?
I don't remember exactly what she said
But it was something like

10 comments:

Fireblossom said...

I just finished an amazing novel by Kristin Hannah called "Winter Garden." In it, the aging mother of these two women tells her story about surviving the seige of Leningrad. Then they understand why she always cooks for an army, and squirrels food away. This made me think of that.

Laynee said...

Loved playing dress up and looking at my Gma's things. She had some strange stuff too. Good times. Good times.

Brian Miller said...

never know when you might need a little sugar you know....

Ginny Brannan said...

This story actually reminds me of tales I've heard about my husband's grandmother, a dear soul who unfortunately was a diabetic with a "sweet tooth," and would hide candy and goodies away for a rainy day (just in case), and of my niece when she was just a little girl, stumbling on her Nana's stash!
I do think in our grandparents time, they lived through so many shortages during the war that it taught them to be frugal, and hold onto many things "just in case."

Olivia said...

Oh so "sweet"!!!
This is so refreshing.. Intriguing n with a surprise ending!

Hugs xox

Anonymous said...

i always enjoy your insight...it is worth coming back to the site to read little gems like i just read. any time i am in a restaurant and i see the little packets of sugar i will remember this loving memory.

Christine said...

This was sweet, little girl exploring treasures and finding a puzzle at the end of her quest.
My great aunt kept buns in her drawer at the old folks home, but that was in case they ran out of food. I guess growing up during the depression will do that do a person.

trisha said...

this one is so beautiful lola. :)

Lolamouse said...

(Tolbert said) i always enjoy your insight...it is worth coming back to the site to read little gems like i just read. any time i am in a restaurant and i see the little packets of sugar i will remember this loving memory.

Lolamouse said...

(Christine said) This was sweet, little girl exploring treasures and finding a puzzle at the end of her quest.
My great aunt kept buns in her drawer at the old folks home, but that was in case they ran out of food. I guess growing up during the depression will do that do a person.