What has Value Now

A News Response Poem

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I inherited the furniture
No one else wanted:
Old wood, cherry and walnut,
Spotted with rings
Chinked on the corners.
The table has a scar 
From where the chandelier 
crashed down once. 
The china hutch is missing 
A small piece of trim 
On the bottom right cabinet,
But the paned glass windows sparkle 
And draw the eye away from the flaw. 
The buffet is scratched 
From where grandkids
Ran toy cars over the top, nicked
From sharp trivets, hardware
Dulled from years of use.
The dining room chairs creak,
Crimson cushions now threadbare, 
Needlepoint faded to an odd shade. 
The damage is the part I cherish,
The reminder of you, night after night
Sitting at this table, Sunday dinners,
Birthdays and holidays, 
placing steaming dishes on the buffet, 
opening and closing the hutch, 
Carefully extracting the wedding china,
The special matching oblong gravy boat,
the delicate coffee cups and saucers.
The memory of us at the kitchen sink
After the meal, aprons over fancy clothes,
Hand washing the plates and bowls,
Replacing the dishes in the cabinet,
lovingly, carefully. The image 
Of you taking out the extra table leaf, 
polishing the wood, again and again,
Even when the shine was waning 
And the scratches could not be repaired.
My sister inherited the china, sprinkled
With tiny painted flowers, rimmed
In gold. She hesitated to use them, 
Citing the gold leaf, the handwashing. 
Use them now tell I her, use them every day
Who cares if the gold wears off.
Gilt is not the true value of things.

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Author’s Note: It was a newsworthy week in many ways, causing me to reflect over and over on what is truly of value, what lasts. What is most important to you? Share in comments.

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