Memory of Cleaning the Side Yard

Memory of Cleaning the Side Yard

I. Side Yard

Ornamental rock

remove exposed covered earth

hidden by darkness.

Old paint containers

containing different colors

of dried and cracked paint.

Many rusted pans

stolen from kitchen cabinets

lying in the rain.

Rusty cast iron

carries pebble collection

all recently washed.

Borrowed Barbeque

never returned to owner

bolts also rusty.

Sits never used grill

gather people over food

celebrate the day.

Empty containers

once filled with my children’s play

now humbly still.

Buckets full of mud

used to make mud balls and pies

dry with the late sun.

II. So Many Things

Some recycled art

plastic bottles and tin cans

piled in a corner.

Place of hidden play

treasures that no longer shine

only in child’s mind.

Tattered wooden block

once held the blade of sharp knives

in a cracked red tub.

A bead collection

to form a line in the dirt

many necklaces.

An old dog photo

scotch taped onto planks of wood

a friend to someone.

A jungle of weeds

a random forest cover

to hide Father’s tools.

Once sturdy tackle

box from many a great trip

times as fishermen.

III. Thrown Away in Our Side Yard

My son builds a boat

out of scrap lumber he’s found

with nails and hammer.

Garden gloves with burs

tears started by roses thorns

or struggles with earth.

Metal artifacts

a graveyard of fallen planes

from some past World War.

Piles of dried brown leaves

slowly mulch in the corners

to bring a new lawn.

Lumbered two by four

practicing in carpentery

screws and nails throughout.

IV. Time to Clean

A weed or two here

since the day of the pulling

have grown back to fight.

Litter and debris

small plastic wrappers and tape

sit alone or pairs.

Baseball bats and gloves

some Soccer and Basketballs

with Nerf guns and toys.

A hoe and a rake

lean against a wooden fence

silent and patient.

Used dented fire pit

a place to burn extra wood

near cracked plastic chairs.

Gave this yard a clean

before the valley feels snow

this time to prepare.

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Jamie Lee Hamann

Things have changed over the years.My name is Jamie Lee Hamann and I have a passion for writing short fiction and poetry.I started writing for TCE around 2015 and since then I have finished two collections of poetry "Six Years of Service" and "The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class" both available on Amazon and plans for more.I share a weekly poem for TCEevery Saturday.I started work on my first novel and I am using TCE to share my progress as I go.I share new excerpts of this work every weekend.A Science Fiction novel that I hope is enjoyable to read. I currently live in Lemmon Valley NV with my family.I am excited to share my poetry and my writing.If you desire to find my other work on the internet feel free to stop by my website simplepoetics.weebly.com.The website offers articles on poetry, poems, and links to all my other writing.

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