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<< Back to Poems & Writings Main
Redemption, Pawnshop Revisited
By Marie Ellen Pacha, 2006
The bell overhead rang,
as I opened the door.
My feet scuffed through the dust,
as they moved 'cross the floor.
The ticket stub was clasped
tight in my hand.
I presented it silently
to the withered old man.
A gilt mirror just behind,
and to the side, on the shelf,
reflected a blurred,
younger view of myself.
With eyes that saw clearly,
and a face still unlined,
I could see in those eyes,
the dreams that were mine.
I was lost for a moment,
remembering those days;
the laughter, the tears,
and the childish ways.
The eyes that I looked with
had seen so much more,
than that day long ago
when I first walked through the door.
A prism of light
pulled me back from my thoughts.
To the paper he held,
and the thing that I sought.
He smoothed out the wrinkles,
and peered at my name,
looked in his book,
for the item I claimed.
Stared over his glasses,
and looked at my face,
then to the counter,
where a box filled the space.
"I couldn't come sooner,
my ticket was lost.
I've come to redeem it.
Please, what is the cost?"
My voice was a whisper,
as I spoke the words.
He paused for so long,
I was not sure he'd heard.
"My life interfered,
and then blurred my sight.
It's time now for redemption
I know that it's right.
I'm sure after this long,
your charges have grown.
I offer you all
the possessions I own.
For that box full of hope,
and dreams and my heart.
I need it now,
to make a fresh start."
His voice was quite gentle
as he answered me.
"Most of my customers
eventually see.
That I'm just a keeper
of dusty old dreams,
And all of these treasures
can't be redeemed.
The price that I ask,
you have already paid,
in a life full of losses
and sacrifice made.
He gave me the box.
And I moved to the door.
I paused only briefly,
as he said something more.
"Thank you for your patronage,
and please do come back.
If you're searching for something,
we have what you lack."
This article is © copyrighted by Marie Ellen Pacha. Any use of this article, in full or in part, is strictly prohibited without written permission from Marie Ellen Pacha.
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