Gather objects from around your house and write about them.

collectibles sit upon my shelves
like the little mermaid’s treasure trove
some date back to when I was 3
like the pig in overalls holding spare change I’d saved for so long
dreaming of buying something nice like a grand piano
for my parents until
Daddy said it wasn’t enough to pay for lunch
he was always such a realist ’til he realized
his kid had D R E A M S

stories sit upon my shelves
but not the kind you find between covers
(though I’ve got more than a few of those too)
I’m talking about the braided keychain
with beaded letters spelling out my AIM screen name
my Artist BFF made me
always the thoughtful gift giver
I think it’s her superpower
I still have the dolphin flower vase and pink roses that look so real
she gave me for my baptism June 2002
another friend made me a jewelry box
decorated with folded cranes and a stamp of a monkey’s face
the symbol of our friends
we had dubbed ourselves the Chatta Monkees
back when we still weren’t sure who we were
now our identities are known
though we don’t see each other quite as often
but we’ve never been closer

memories sit on my shelves
the kind you save for a rainy day
I’ve got this pin button I made
while running away from California
visited a friend in Nashville 2 years ago
one of the hardest years of my life
“I need breathtaking purpose and possibilities.”
I clipped the words from magazines and glued them together
it was like finding familiar friends who simply fit together
pieces of the same puzzle
and I found myself again