The Coat Rack in the Corner

 

Coat Rack in the Corner

 

The coat rack in the corner

Has seen its time of use

It may be worn and shaky

 It has bore so much abuse

 

Coats from slumber parties

And baseball mitts by the score

This old coat rack has stood sturdy

Down through the years by the door

 

It was once my dance instructor

Before my first school dance

I was sure its feet were tapping

As I twirled around in a trance

 

I laugh each time I remember

My silly girlhood days

Dancing with the coat rack

In a childhood haze

 

But there are other memories

That always fills my mind

All my missing loved ones

A family intertwined

 

Many different coats have hung there

Down through these many years

My eyes look back on days gone by

And my eyes fill with happy tears

 

Grandma hung her floppy hat

Grandpa's jacket splattered with paint

Daddy perched his stovepipe

Like Lincoln’s top hat oh so quaint

 

Big brother hung is ball cap

His jacket and mittens too

I hung my Sunday-go-to-meeting-coat

My mom maid it powder blue

 

Uncle Buck hung his Barbeque apron

And that silly looking hat

When the charcoals were but cinders

As he gave his belly a pat

 

Aunt Lena hung her mink coat

On the back out of sight

So nothing marred its soft fur

She covered it with a sheet so white

 

Grandma’s hat doesn’t hang there any more

Nor does grandpa’s paint splattered coat

We don’t talk about daddy’s stovepipe

It was eaten by the neighbor’s goat

 

Big brother lives far away these days

Ball hats and mittens are in his past

I see him only once a year

And that was Christmas last

 

Uncle Buck is grilling in heaven

A barbeque fit for the King

I’m sure he still pats his belly

As he listens to the angels sing

 

Aunt Lena has no need of mink

She passed away five years ago

That mink coat is in my attic

In a special box, don’t you know?

 

The coat rack in the corner

Would have many tales to tell

If it could only talk

It would wish them all farewell

 

Reviews

[GBU POETRY ONLY]

Congrats on your win also .... I think we both were on the same wave length..
If Coat racks could talk, that would be something...

[Emily Quinn]

what a great way to show love, loss and the life cycle. its amazing how one object often overlooked can have so many memories and prevoke such a mixture of emotions. great write, nice, consitant flow, strong imagery. I loved it

[Vincent Esprit FMI]

amazing nancy how you return life to what was......Somehow this piece brought me right back to kindergarten......great imagery.......thanks