
Iron Bridge Pub, Exeter
A carved teak bowl, flat bottom, a spout
two miniature dugout canoes
an incandescent lamp-lit bulb
retrieved from Edison’s throwaways
wax candle, clay bottle, large spool (no thread)
tightly wound roll of string (not twine)
with a medieval sewing machine
and painting of Devon embossed in black lacquer
in the tiniest Hollywood spotlight
(imagine the hill with white letters)
there’s a brassy Victrola gramophone horn
and rusty metallic kettle
the part of a mixer used to whip
by a framed bit of silver-tree fern
twenty small samples of clover and nettle
pressed into rows like used stamps
a small oaken vessel or cask of a sort
with polished rim, handle and crest
I’m certain my Baba and Dido had one
on a shelf at the farm in their kitchen
all this treasure, revealed, displayed
on a plank-paneled wall in a pub
a perfectly itemized poem
I simply need to write down
if only I’d brought a pencil!
Author, poet, songwriter Bill Arnott is the bestselling author of Gone Viking: A Travel Saga. Bill’s work appears in journals and anthologies in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. When not trekking the globe with a small pack and journal, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, usually misbehaving. Visit their website, and follow them on IG/Twitter @billarnott_aps.