Remembrance of things to come [poem]

I

Once I knew the weighty tug

and aching back

of vegetables pulled from crumbled soil

Now

I know that the contents of

the plastic bag

are washed and ready for use

II

Once I knew the warmth

and comfort

of a cardigan knitted softly

by the tender hands

of a mother

Now

I know that

the embossed signature on my breast

will be held in higher regard

than the name that seemed so significant

last year

III

Once I knew the fabric of belonging

that ran through and around

the patched

                cleaned

                polished

                woodworm-free

                at-least-two-of-the-legs-are-not-original

sofa

Now

I know that I can order a new one

twenty four hours a day

three hundred and sixty five days a year

and that

when they deliver it

they will take away the old one

IV

Once I knew the dutiful joys and pains

of caring for my elderly father

       for your broken daughter

       for his baby son

       for her dying mother

Now

I know the address

of the residential facility

where we store the more troublesome members of our families

V

Once

I knew how to be

Now

I know how to buy

[If there's a photo down here it was added August 2017 as part of blog refresh.  Photo is either mine or is linked to where I found it. Make of either what you will.]