Thrift Shop by Joan McNerney
Thrift Shop I descend clutching a teetering banister to the bowels of this holy place. A sign welcomes me to St. Mary’s Basement Boutique where scent of unloved clothing assaults me. I finger grubby blouses and skirts hanging limp week after week unwanted. Where is it? Hidden beneath mounds of faded tee shirts? Where is that swag I will brag on for months? At last I uncover something beyond belief….a mohair sweater snow white with pastel flowers. A good fit, my prayer answered. Retired ladies glance up. They are volunteers filling another empty afternoon. The cashier consults her price list. “One dollar” she says as I reply with quick “thanks” fleeing blissfully. When I get home, my bonanza is baptized in cool water and suds now reborn, lustrous and all mine. Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow ...