Throughout my life there have been objects
not necessarily magical or sacramental
that have taken on special significance.

They haven’t been the unattainable
objects of desire,
lost, partial, untranslatable.

Nor have they been transitional objects
like the blanket my sister had
or the velveteen rabbit which became real.

Instead, they have been trinkets received as gifts,
practical objects used long past being worn out,
or some combination of the two.

There was the reversible fall jacket
that lasted through much of high school and college
until finally my mother convinced me
to get a new jacket.

There was that coffee mug
which I was given
when I worked in the high school library
helping with inventory
and stayed with me for over thirty years
until the last time we moved.

At other times
there have been coins
which I carried for years
almost like prayer beads.

Perhaps, they are more like H.D.’s mullein-leaf
causing us to perceive the other side of everything
including time.