…that keeps on giving?

As a kid I made gifts for
special occasions
birthdays, Christmas –
parents, grandparents,
aunt, uncle
hangers-on
all got something made
by my own two hands.

for a few years it was
something acrylic
clear, encasing some
object or picture deemed
worth of enshrinement
by me
poured into molds in our
basement workshop

One year, it was candles –
all the rage in the ‘70s
I specialized in funky owls

There was also my
bottle cutting phase – less
successful, as goblets
made from full size
wine bottles proved
unwieldy to drink from

My main claim to
gift making and giving fame
was courtesy of my handy
dandy rock tumbler
tie tacs, tie bars, broaches,
ear rings
I made them all from
brightly polished
granite and marble –
sometimes even a nice, white
quartz

jewelry not for the
faint of heart
or small stature
even small chunks of
granite
made for
adventuresome earlobe
gymnastics

An only child, my parents would
indulge my varied
creative interest and impulses
and my family
and friends
were the feigned-gratitude
recipients.

Never let it be said that
my gifts came from anywhere
but the heart

And my basement.

– Mark L. Lucker
© 2020
http://lrd.to/sxh9jntSbd

5 thoughts on “…that keeps on giving?

  1. The best gifts come are the ones from the heart. Your poem made me smile because it brought back my memories of home made gifts. My son, now 21, also used to create homemade jewelry crafted from pebbles and smoothed to perfection in his rock tumbler. I used to write poems to my grandparents for gifts.Those were the best gifts. This poem really resonates with me.

  2. This is lovely. I always tell my kids to make presents, not buy them. The message seems to have gotten through to only one of three children. The youngest one is always making bracelets and rings from elastics, and paintings.

  3. I love to make things for people as gifts- but it’s mostly candy. I have also made clay bead necklaces and ornaments- it’s a special kind of love.
    Love this poem.

    Feel free to look at mine if you like. I need more reviews. Thanks in advance.

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