Cobwebs brushed across my face
As I cracked the cellar door
Hiding somewhere in this place
My childhood past was stored.
There upon a table
Sat a white box brown with rust.
The letters on its label
Spelled my name beneath the dust.
This was the lunch box I loathed,
Ashamed to carry each day.
Its trim of flowers and bows,
Couldn’t hide what it conveyed.
I was a girl of humble means
Whose parents were simple and poor.
School-bought lunch, a luxury,
That I could never afford.
The box now empty, thermos gone
Scenes of my childhood arose
Mother rising before the dawn
To warm my soup on the stove.
I know my parents worked so hard
And gave all they could to me.
This homely box, I can’t discard
Stored deep like the memories.
Valentine’s Day usually brings with it sentiments about love. I decided to share “The Lunch Box” this week because it expresses my feelings about my parents, my past, and how something so ugly and despised, could change into something beautiful. I still have my Junior Miss lunch box from 1960. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I keep my old lunch box because it reminds me that no matter how ugly I might feel, I am loved by God and beautiful in his sight. By the way, God feels the same about you!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Do you keep any relics from your childhood? Leave a comment.
Your poem reminds me of my lunch boxes, none of which I own now. I too brought lunches to school with my daily sandwich and milk. Those were simple days that I’ll always cherish. Thank you for the memories!
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Thanks for reading my posts and sharing a comment. It helps me to know my audience.
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I remember you sharing this poem with me and we discussed the similarities of our childhoods. Isn’t if funny how something so despised can be a thing of nostalgia and beauty from a different perspective?
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I think age has much to do with do with it! It’s interesting how our values change over time as well. Thanks Mary!
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Loved the memories this sparked…Thanks!!
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A lunch box is a step up from the paper sack I carried my lunch in to school back in the ’40s. Love your sentiment!
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Right, Carol. At least I had hot soup! Yummy! Thanks for your comment.
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Your poem brought back memories both painful and dear. I have a stuffed lioness nearly bare of fur. Loved it til it was bald!!!
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Aww, that sounds so cute. My lunch box isn’t very cuddly. Thanks!
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