Book of Past Challenges

Curiouser and Curiouser

I enter the hobbit-like domain
of antiques and curiosities.
This peculiar place
is out of the way, almost hidden.

I peruse, glass topped
ornately carved display cases
and witness
crooked wire spectacles
from another era,
a moldy, mauve feather boa
that makes me sneeze,
an oriental yellowed-ivory chess set
that my son would love,
and a tiny gold baby ring.

On a shelf
next to the counter
is perched
a delicate, porcelain dove.
No, that's not it, I need
a more piquant find,
something unique,
something memorable.

Toward the back of the room
there is a doorway
shielded by a glitzy beaded
curtain that tinkles
as I pass through.

Unlike the well lit
outer room,
this one is dim
illuminated by only
a stuttering florescent lamp.
Cobwebs decorate the corners
and a once glossy
teak table is covered in dust.
Boxes are stacked
precariously at odd angles
in befuddled disarray.

With excruciating
and meticulous, endeavor
I begin to comb
through the boxes
closest to the light.
One must have been
the property of an apothecary.
Blue bottles, a scale,
stone mortar and pestle,
what stories these could tell.
Another belonged
to a military man,
old medals,
tarnished and forgotten.
Thank you for your service.

Who knows how long
I searched
with no success
but I know it is here.
I will return
tomorrow to continue my quest..
         ~~ Judi Van Gorder

59 lines

Notes: ▼

Theme: Shopping for the perfect Christmas Present, you meander in to an old antique store you've never noticed before. Time has no meaning here and you wander, entranced, by the items you see artfully displayed in old trunks or balanced precariously on dusty shelves. Antique furniture, jewelry piled as if in Aladdin's cave, musty old books, elegant hats of some long forgotten era. What do you find? Why is the cat (?)watching you? Why does the proprietor seem oddly familiar? Do you venture up the stairs to the second floor? Why do the wide wooden floorboards creak sounding like an old carol? Do you look out through the fogged windows to see outside and if so, does it look the same? Using some of these details, and more you come up with on your own as you wander in your mind's eye, take us on a descriptive journey to your finding that ultimate gift. Will it be as intended?


Words to use: piquant, befuddle, ring, set, cobweb, feather, gloss, spectacles, at least a four syllable word starting with the letter E.
Forbidden words: shop, store, buy, gift
Additional parameters: details, descriptive phrasings, find more than a simple gift. At least 48 lines, rhyming or not.