Untitled on Purpose

Untitled on Purpose
by Marilyn Mackenzie


Untitled? That is the title. Unnamed. Nondescript. On purpose.



Just a scrap,
Torn haphazardly.
Messy, worn, wrinkled.

On one side, scratches.
Partial recognition.
Phone number? Whose?

Turned over, more scribbles.
Words in shorthand.
Related? Some are.

What is it?
Found in the cavern,
At the bottom?

Undated, unnamed.
Meaningless marks?
Unknown treatise?

Ridiculous! No mystery.
Diary of a housewife,
Found in her purse.

Riddle solved.
Relief, satisfaction.
Meaning discovered.

Grocery list, lost in the abyss.
Toss it away, make way for more.

Still another scrap hides,
Survives one more day…
Beside an unwrapped mint.