the cupboard under the stairs

It was a curious gift,

but of no use to me.

So I put it in a box,

a shoebox tied with string.

And the box I stowed

in the cupboard under the stairs.

There it sat

as the years went by.

Junk piled up around it

and dust settled thick.

Thus was it forgotten.

...

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

I first heard it after the party

as the music died;

But I was tired

and sleep beckoned.

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

The next morning, over breakfast,

there it was again;

But I was expected

in at the office.

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

It was there as I drank tea

after work that day;

But the shops would soon be shut

and I had things to buy.

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

Again I heard it

as I dropped my bags in the hall;

But I was in a rush,

the movie was due to start.

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

Still it knocked

when I returned that night;

But with me was a woman

warmed ready for the bed.

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs

Summer passed and things changed.

My bed grew cold

and the cinema closed.

The job disappeared

and the stores became barren.

But all the while

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs.

Then the bailiffs paid a visit.

They took the sofa and the television.

They left the echo of the walls…

which only made it louder

tap tap tap

coming from the cupboard under the stairs.

So I opened the door

one cold winter’s day;

And I began to rummage

in the cupboard under the stairs.

tap tap tap

coming from in here.

How many boxes did I find

during that long winter?

What strange relics came to light

in the course of the dig!

tap tap tap

coming from in here.

Tons of stuff came out

of this dark cupboard:

Old things, broken things,

ugly things, useless things;

The scrap-heap of a lifetime

tap tap tap

coming from in here.

Many a time I thought

I had got to the bottom of it.

Only to hear once more

tap tap tap

coming from in here.

Now the cupboard is bare…

But wait…

There is one box left,

a shoebox tied with string.

tap tap tap

coming from in here.

I take the box out.

tap tap tap

I am filled with dread.

tap tap tap

I pull the string.

tap tap tap

I lift the lid…

(Canmore, Canada, March 2002)