RESURRECTION (An Original Poem)

When I was
just a young man
I liked things
shiny and new,

as the years
have gone by
I have grown
to appreciate
a speckle of rust,
a layer of dust,
a mottled patina

middle aged me
has a certain penchant,
not for pretty things,
but rather things
that have been cast aside
as useless and obsolete,

tired things huddled
off in a corner feeling like
they've lived a hundred lives,
maybe because I do too?

oftentimes all it
takes is a little attention
to spark a grand resurrection

I've found
these things are
so eager
to tell their stories
and continue their breath of life
inhale tarnished, exhale cleansed

I seek out and smile at
the perfectly imperfect
and bask in
their greatness of character

I don't mind that they've
lived a hundred lives,
for in my heart
they are reborn and
in a sense, so am I.

---

A little about this poem: I found this 1959 Raleigh bike on Craigslist in the fall of 2014 for $120. The first picture was the afternoon I brought it home. Over the course of next two years, bit-by-bit I restored it (with the help of eBay, many YouTube videos, and the members of a vintage Raleigh bike club). This was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done as now it's a piece of art that can be ridden...and ridden it is, as often as possible.

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