Revelations in the Thrift Store by Richard Schnap

Here is a doll with a painted smile

And eyes as hollow as a ghost’s

Here is a book by an obscure author

That’s been out of print for a decade

Here is a dress from someone’s closet

In fashion for only a season

Here is a chair that once faced a desk

From a company long out of business

And I see a young girl falling in love

Leaving her childhood behind her

And a pile of notebooks left by the curb

Their words disappearing in the rain

And a mirror in a chic department store

Reflecting what the stars now endorse

And an old man passing a vacant lot

Where once stood the story of his life

Richard Schnap is a poet, songwriter and collagist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His poems have most recently appeared locally, nationally and overseas in a variety of print and online publications.