Little Bit of History

By Jenn Weinshenker

I stepped into an antique store today and
Filled my lungs.
Intoxicated by the aroma
that old smell
that old mothball smell,
that aired out,
full summer-heat-smell
filled every fiber and every crease.

For an instant I was there.
I pushed back the old suits and dresses and robes
and stumbled over the well-worn leather heals and loafers
and explored the recesses of Grandmas closet
and fell back into another time.

Slowly I took in a breath
let my eyes adjust to this new light and
wove around and through
the tapestry of things layered
on the walls
on the shelves and tables
and in the glass display cases
and there co-mingled with my fluid elemental past.

Dark green shades and medals from wars fought long ago
Hand stitched aprons and dolls and table clothes
Incomplete servings of china and crystal
Books and cameras and photographs
all had white paper price tags
tied to each item.

How long did they pass from one heir to the next
before they became irrelevant?
Why werent these old pictures on display in a room
for great-grandchildren to see?
When had their stories become a silent legacy?
Why was the past,
So far past?
Why had it been forgotten?
How long ago had it become completely detached from the familiar?
Why were these things doing here, now, in this antique store?

The recognition of a cherished tradition
summoned a memory
and sparked my imagination.
The connection with some of those mementoes
Left me lonesome and soulful.

History was stirred up in the air today.
The dust carried with it
All of the impressions and partial memories from another time.
The energy
the way it linked up and detached
the way it moved constantly
the way it mattered
that inbetween stuff of life
and the way it constantly evolved through the cause and effect of it all
was palpable.

I would have liked to have picked out a frayed
hard backed book and
picked out a comfy chair and
spent the day in Grandma and Grandpas old house
and imagined when I heard someone walking
that I would be called out to
Put down that book baby and set the table.

Today I was history’s store and
A little bit of history was mine.

Email Jenn at JWeinshenker@LTSaloon.org

2009 Jenn Weinshenker. All Rights Reserved.