Musings from my conservatory

Musings from my conservatory

A Poem by Beccy

By nature, I am an assiduous
collector of books and trivia;
sometimes I sift, sort the wheat
from the chaff, 
but mostly, I just store,
not so much as to hoard 
for the sake
of hoarding, but more in the fashion
of an overly cautious squirrel
readying itself for winter.

Often, when I open a second-hand book, 
a notation on the flyleaf will catch my eye;
just as happened last week when I picked 
up a a slightly tattered copy of 'October and 
other poems,' by Robert Bridges.
'To Jane, with regard from your father,'
read the faded, black ink inscription.
No surname, no further clue and even the 
little printed certificate of merit, (the book's
origin clearly being a school prize-giving
ceremony,) was a blank canvas.   
An unfortunate oversight? Perhaps, but
combined with 'regard' rather than 'love,'
it had me imagining the circumstances
under which a 
young girl came by such
a dismissive gesture, w
hich led me to
conclude that hers was 
perhaps not
a childhood made in heaven;
the book itself, easily post-dating 
the suffragette movement. 

As for trivia, well, one never knows
when it might come in handy.
For example, I know the intimate
workings 
of a Wilson Cloud Chamber
and that a single 
sea oyster can filter
up to a 
hundred litres of water every day; 
And even now, from childhood memory,
plus much practise at the breakfast table,
I can recite the entire contents listed 
on a box of Kellogs Cornflakes.

© 2015 Beccy


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Reviews

This is a beautiful poem Beccy, and a wondrous adventure. I visualize your personal library as being full of treasures that include personal stories, and your own thoughts to go along with each book. Stories about stories is a wonderful, intelligent, and highly creative idea, thanks for the interesting read.

Posted 9 Years Ago


The said book had an interesting story to tell even before you opened a page !

Nicely penned Beccy, trivia in itself about the self and eloquent in its entirety !

Posted 9 Years Ago


I love this piece. It's obsessive, but seems to revel in it. Your offbeat delivery prevents the details from becoming overwhelming. Instead we feel the protagonist's passion, and even a touch of nostalgia. I particularly enjoyed the squirrel metaphor in the opening stanza, tremendous way of romanticising our hobby!

Posted 9 Years Ago


too bad you're not on our Logan trivia team...you would have fun...we do many contests...

all of us so into it.

your poem made me a bit sad...the book, the inscription...how can you have one of those on an ebook or kindle...mmmm

second hand books...someday there will be no books left...it will not be fair.

Posted 9 Years Ago


Such 'musings' should be compulsory if only to birth such a fascination of observations, Beccy! You have a way of reading my thoughts.. sharing secrets i've not shared.. such as the smell and feel of an old book and the touches of past that sift into the imagination in the process. You feel with passion, whether roaring or whispering.. so love that.. truly.

Your writing is special

Posted 9 Years Ago


"more in the fashion
of an overly cautious squirrel
readying itself for winter" - now that is cautious !

Re the note in the book, I would speculate that the 'regards' statement is indicative of a certain era (or class) Beccy. But now, I see you already knew that. I tend to write me reviews as I read, sorry.

I get more than musings from this little write. I get a sense of 'What was it all for?' because I often mull over the same thing -
I often do a head-audit like this and more than not I think "yeah, here I am with a head full of facts I will never use and sometimes I feel so lonely that I would swap them all to be one of those who finds discussing football/fashion scintillating."
Books can keep us enthralled, can let us into fantastical worlds but when we close the covers we are here in the lonely world and the book has stopped its magic for a little while.

A very thought-stirring write Beccy.

Posted 9 Years Ago


the rational-emotional mix is what makes a good poem as well as a good carrot I suspect.
But when I read your poems they are forever alive with movement and endowed with life.
There is a happening , or a flavoring, or a context to be reckoned with, but never just
a single person doing one single thing at a time. Poems that are made from the animations
of real events depict the most vibrant of characters and plots.

There is an old used book store in downtown Detroit, King books, which smells like what a
pile of one million books should smell like, that I make a habit of visiting once a week.
I'm in love also with the notes left in the margins or the aniseikonia of different book marks
left by the former readers. I go there not to fall in love, but to be in love.

wonderful write dear beccy.....

dana

Posted 9 Years Ago


Cheeky. Maybe a tad melancholic. A good glimpse into you. I enjoyed it Beccy, but why Kellogs Cornflakes? CD

Posted 9 Years Ago


What a delightful read. I, too, collect books for 'the winter' and all the other seasons that find me with down time. This piece speaks to me and I feel a familiarity in the lines of poetic prose. THanks for sharing.

Posted 9 Years Ago


Thanks Woody. Yes, it is a bit of a departure for me; not quite a poem, not quite a story, I promise not to succumb too often. :)

Beccy.

Posted 9 Years Ago



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Added on May 1, 2015
Last Updated on May 1, 2015

Author

Beccy
Beccy

United Kingdom



About
I'm forty four, single and have a lovely fifteen year old son called Charlie. I've been writing poetry and short stories since I can remember. I have always been an assiduous reader of poetry and real.. more..

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