Ilene Bauer Poet Rhyme

In the Gift Shop

In the gift shop of the Met*
I watch to see what people get.
The kids are mostly drawn to toys,
With Lego building sets for boys

And for the girls, a teddy bear
Or other stuffies which compare.
Women look at mugs or tees
Or jewelry, all kinds to please,

While men check hats or socks or ties,
No need to bother with a size.
For everyone within the store,
Of course, they’re selling books galore.

There, naturally, are art supplies -
In a museum, no surprise.
On offer are pastels and clay,
Plus paints and pencils on display.

A scarf collection caught my eye,
But mostly I’ll give in and buy
When I’m a tourist; then the urge
For souvenirs will let me splurge.

*Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

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Alison A Smith June 20, 2026 at 5:33 PM Thanks Irene through your words I saw the well stocked met gift store.

John Loving Iii June 20, 2026 at 4:38 PM Always satisfied with what you give. Besides rhyming it make a point.

Yann Rolland June 20, 2026 at 4:08 PM agree with Andrea, could be expensive, prefer resist to this temptation, as i could, what an adorable poem, thanks poet Ilene

Andrea Dietrich June 20, 2026 at 2:10 PM Oh wow. At the museum gift shop, those have to be very expensive. My speed is more to spend at the thrift shops. I haven't even gone into one of those in ages. I think my buying days are over. Now that I am not working I never go out except to gym or grocery store. It's funny how all my days of buying fun items has just gone out the window! I like how you wrote on the Met. I got to see it briefly the one time I visited NY around 2009.