Kingdom of Castaways

Not a Cat-, Dog- or Bird-lady
she scours the neighborhood
for Furniture abandoned at the curb
– chairs, hutches, footstools, lampshades –
brings them home
to brood and dream over
then transforms and restores
with sandpaper, paint, stain
varnish and varathane
re-upholsters with velvet and brocade
nourishes personality
with painted heart or flower,
glued on bead or tassel,
fringe or braid

Finally she hands out the assignments:
“Here, you sit in this corner
and hold the books
while you display the milk glass
and you cushion my feet…”
gifting to each
a place, purpose
and reason to live again.
in her Kingdom of Castaways.

© 2007 by Violet Nesdoly

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I wrote this poem in response to a blog I used to read. The woman who wrote it was continually rescuing things from roadside oblivion. I see this ‘Castaway Kingdom’ as a picture of how God rescues us.

This poem was published in my book Family Reunion (available for sale here.)