ANTIQUE SPIRITS

tale of my greatgrandmothers clock...lost then found

ANTIQUE SPIRITS

in this tiny antique shop
in the small mendocino coast village
named after the elk
who wandered along the stream emptying into the cove
for thousands of years,
spirits drift among the relics of their past,
ghosts of people long ago turned to dust...
and,
each hour on the hour
the marble clock chimes in perfect harmony,
 the spirits hesitate to wonder why
it still lives and sings eternally, since
the clock was born in 1895 in a shop in switzerland,
caressed to life with infinite precision
by the artistic gnarled hands of the smiling watchmaker...
bought by a traveling wyoming rancher,
 for his wife,
to be handed down to the first born of each new generation...
and thus,
 traveled from the high plains desert,
to southern california,
to eugene, oregon,
to sacramento,
 and,
 finally, to mendocino...
where the first born was the final generation
and the clock was discovered,
 in perfect working order,
 by
a delighted young antique dealer,
in a boxed lot,
 bought for a song at an estate sale,
to be gracefully dusted,
and polished,
and wound
with great honor,
 eternal love,
 and admiration,
to be
given center stage on the perfectly varnished
oak captains mantle
reminding passing spirits
forever
of time flowing onward
 and,
 the very temporary nature of man...

***

Author's Note

the molecules of your body are the same molecules that burn inside the stars themselves, we are star stuff, we are the universe trying to understand itself...LOVE,LUCK,n LAUGHTER...jc

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoyed the story of the clock.
"given center stage on the perfectly varnished
oak captains mantle
reminding passing spirits
forever
of time flowing onward
and,
the very temporary nature of man..."
The above lines are very cool. Old and ancient things hold great beauty and story. Thank you for sharing the excellent poetry.
Coyote

[jeannemarie coulter]

i am blessed by your kind words...

[Coyote Poetry]

I enjoy your poetry and thoughts. Make me want to write too.

[dan]

the clock passed down to the first born of every new generation is a very nice concept, makes for an excellent write and an abundantly enjoyable read. Thank you for that. take care...dan

[jeannemarie coulter]

thank you for such praise...have only wonderful days...jc

[....................]

how some things outlive us and what a wonderful story of the clock... as a lifelong student of history and anthropology, this held my attention from the title and I had to read it a few times, bathing in the wonderful description and love entwined... this is gorgeous, jeannemarie... I am really loving your writing...

[mattavelli]

This is lovely. You tell the story well.

[jeannemarie coulter]

thank you your words inspire and help

[mattavelli]

I'm very bad at writing these comments. For the most part, when I read something I like; I try To articulate - ooh, dat purdy.

[wordman]

a beautiful story my friend

[jeannemarie coulter]

thank you so very much

[wordman]

you are welcome

[Perkele.7885]

You paint some beautiful provenance for this elegant Swiss mantle clock. It now has a home! Something that it has always richly deserved!

[Sami Khalil]

You take this antique piece that has been lost and found and you weave a marvelous poem around it. Very much enjoyed along with all the descriptions. Excellent.....:)......

[ANTO]

a superb piece here Jeannemarie on the provenance of a much-loved work of art that is imbued with more - with the pioneer spirit and a whole families life-stories entwined within its workings now. I enjoyed this very much.

[jeannemarie coulter]

thank you kindly

[jacob erin-cilberto]

again your poems tell such interesting stories....you mix imagination and reality to a perfect blend.

[jeannemarie coulter]

my thanks abound