FADED CAMPHOR EXPECTATIONS

Inspired by Albert's Poetry Cafe ~ Tovli's 10 Word Challenge Write a prose poem using the following words: box, remains, project, outside, forever, more vase, act, illusion, breathing

 

 

 

  

 

 

 FADED CAMPHOR EXPECTATIONS 

 

 

My "hope chest remains" now as a storage box

for books to read when I get time

in my old age.....

 

the outside worn and battered over the years

the original purpose of this box, a project undertaken

by me as a teenager with high expectations and even

higher dreams....forever filled with hopes 

 

along with the tea towels and bath towels,

bath sets and bath sheets

folded into little neat piles

colour co-ordinated crochet doilies

placed carefully alongside the cutglass vase

 

me breathing in carved wood fragrance of camphor

at the frequent opening of this Pandora's box

to place more treasures within...

 

all an illusion this ritual act of girls back then....

how many of their dreams really came true?

the hopes they so diligently packed away in tissue paper

only to find them crumpled and ripped by careless hands.

 

 

 

(c) Helena 2008

 

 

Reviews

[Nancy Lee Shrader]

Helena, very well done. My favorite part.


me breathing in carved wood fragrance of camphor

at the frequent opening of this Pandora's box

to place more treasures within...


Good Job

[emmajoy]

A fine, fine write, as usual... the use of the given words are incorporated into an almost tale which is very endearing.

Except for the final four lines which are sad, almost an indictment on life :-

'.. all an illusion this ritual act of girls back then.... /
how many of their dreams really came true? / the hopes they so diligently packed away in tissue paper /
only to find them crumpled and ripped by careless hands.

Thank you for sharing