What To Sacrifice First

What to sacrifice first?
A lawn ornament I never liked.
It looks fantastic in the neighbor's kitchen.

Secondly, I threw out a drum I have not played in forty years.
The neighbors called to let me hear their son beating on it.
He was having the best time ever; too bad it was three a.m.

The joy though! I told them, not convincing them.
They did not call back. Maybe pouting a little?
Sixteen bags of clothing went.
A guy snapped up six of them to take to his mother who quilts.

Five bags went to a family who was going to make a tent.
They came back two days later for the other five bags, but alas....
They had gone home with a hat maker, who had been delighted.
He had a multi-handicapped son, and material is expensive!

I threw out so much faux Tupperware, it was crazy.
The kids down the block built an igloo out of them. 
It got taller every day. Pretty soon it was a bunch of igloos.
When they began building a wall I started dropping my plastic off.

They were delighted, sending me a thank you note.
So they got more of my cast off stuff, and they incorporated 
Every bit of it into their little plastic town.
I enjoy seeing my neighbors enjoy my hand offs.

Too bad I am dragging their stuff home now too.
We are doing a bit of a barter now.
Everyone trying to unload their stuff.
I scored a pan with only the smallest hole yesterday.

I plan to turn it into the prettiest little chrome planter.
It can sit next to my pink flamingo wearing a little red hat
I fashioned out of the hem of a Christmas tree skirt 
I brought back from my own pile yesterday.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2019



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Date: 2/9/2019 1:13:00 AM
My mother used to say all the time: "One man's junk is another man's treasure." You have depicted her saying quite well. I have no saying, just one word, RECYCLE!
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Kiser Avatar
M. L. Kiser
Date: 2/9/2019 3:08:00 PM
I got a really nice easel that way.
Krutsinger Avatar
Caren Krutsinger
Date: 2/9/2019 1:25:00 AM
We used to drive around early on garbage day, snagging things from the curb before the garbage men could grab them.
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