Wind Chime
Yesterday we hung the wind chime
we got as a wedding present–
Pachelbel’s Cannon in D trapped
inside a cardboard box
For decades it stared at me
from the top shelf of my garage,
pleading
I looked away,
the bigger problem too messy,
impossible to unravel
Our lives had gotten too busy for
wind chimes–
listening to them
or stringing them up
Someday had been pushed back
another decade
Plastic sleds and crusty gallons of paint
nestled against the white box
with faded lettering
welcoming it to the family
of long-forgottens
But then one day
my son, years beyond
the thrill of a hammer and a nail
found a large swath of time in
quarantine
He dug out the blue bin
full of wood scraps
and inside discovered an old door-jamb
perfect for making the limb
of a cross bow
As he slid the bin of wood off the shelf
he spotted a box,
opened it to reveal glittering pipes
Mom, look!
Who knew we were a family
with a wind chime?
With a single motion
I freed the tangle of strings,
the clapper unleashing its song
My husband screwed a hook
into the soffit above our porch
and we hung our wedding chimes.
It took us only five minutes
and twenty-two years
Lisa Reisig Ferrazzano, Ph.D., is a linguist, Italian instructor, and writer. Her work has appeared in MAW, Literary Mama, Motherwell, Her View from Home, and the Cap Times.
4 Comments
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June 29, 2020 at 3:53 pm
This hit me straight in the heart – beautiful. I too have tasks that have taken five minutes and several decades to accomplish. When finally done, they always leave me a little sad for the time I missed, but grateful for the (hopefully) years of enjoyment left to come. This poem was a treat for all of my senses.
July 1, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Thank you for your kind words, Kathy. I am humbled that my poem resonated with you!
July 21, 2020 at 7:57 am
Beautiful and evocative. Love the closing ‘It took us only five minutes
and twenty-two years.’
July 29, 2020 at 3:04 pm
I am new to this page. Love it already! Your “Windchimes” is so real. Life moves through time so quickly. Some things are missed, some forgotten, or just put off. But, bringing them to life, at any time, alongside the people you love is always a wonderful gift!