Suddenly I Remember

Five years ago
American antiques
were all the rage

I hid Mama's oak rocker
from nosy dealers
also her pewter mugs

Now I can bring them out—
Asian art is definitely in
and Far East culture has hit our town

A local car dealer
placed a stone Buddha
in his backyard

a fry cook we know
has gone into debt for Koi
let his mortgage lapse

and two WASP neighbors
are studying Japanese
at the community college

Suddenly I remember
where I hid
Mama's rosewood Bible stand
safe to use again

Notes

McDaniel, Wilma. (2001) Borrowed Coats. Hanging Loose Press, Brooklyn, New York.
Courtesy University of California, Merced Library. Copyright owned by the Regents of the University of California.