areas: cb: arts

ARContribution by George M. Zinkhan

                 “innocence lost:     amongst attic treasures”

growing up an American,    i had so many interests and activities:
   soccer, ballet, soft ball, chess, skating, reading, drawing, internet chat,
   knitting, cooking, hanging out, dreaming,            so many more    . . .

sometimes,    it was a little boring at grandpa’s house,
   so i kept an old pair of roller skates there –
   perhaps more honored in the breach than in the observance

one sunny afternoon,    when grandpa was taking a nap,
   i went poking in his attic,     with intent to strap on those
   old skates   –    no luck,         searching high and low

off in the corner, I noticed grandpa’s old-man suitcase,
   suddenly    (incongruously)    upgraded with an odd
   set of wheels   –   strangely familiar wheels,    treasured wheels

in retrospect, I see that  grandpa often hatched
   brilliant ideas,   in this case,   keeping up with the Joneses
   zipping through airports,     passing old men by    . . .

today,    my roller skates are no more,
   just like my cherished childhood years,
   just like grandpa     and his attic full of brilliant inventions    . . .

Athens, GA
December 2004