Patricia Deaton
DONATION
Van crammed full
I pull into Goodwill,
jerk the door open
to unload things
I don’t need. Church
dresses she packed away new,
checkered quilt-tops she started,
those old nursing shoes,
yellowed scrapbooks with dates
no longer important,
a box full of faces no one recalls.
80’s brass seagulls, ugly mauve tray,
and among the belongings
from my mom’s emptied place,
a wooden paper towel holder,
heavy heart for a base.
Author’s Comment: The memory of cleaning out my mom’s house while she was still alive was my inspiration for this poem.
Bio: Patricia Killian Deaton is a native of the foothills of North Carolina whose poetry, fiction, and nonfiction have been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. A new and very young, but very thrilled great-grandmother, she lives near a lake with her huge orange cat, Sweet Boy.
Wild Goose Poetry Review 
I like the last two lines very much. All this is done with a very heavy heart.
Beautiful poem Patricia!
I’ve “been there, done that” and you capture the experience. Yes it’s all just stuff, but it was mother’s stuff,
full of stories and memories. Part of a poet’s job description is to be a “rememberer”. Excellent!
Patricia – you know how much I love this poem of yours. With few words you’ve captured a poignant emotion that resonates. I look forward to seeing more of your poetry!
Heavy heart for a base– been there. Recently.
A heart breaker – thanks for putting in words what so many of us have to go through.
Doug
“Heavy heart for a base” captures the whole scene and makes my heart hurt,too, Patricia. Beautifully done.
Wonderful work! And (my statement of the obvious) the rhyme that carries the last three lines is superb.