Lost Putter
by Aimee Mackovic
of course the neglected putter
was lost to a coat of rust
after a year on the uncovered balcony,
what surprised me was
my sadness, like the soul jolt of finding
a picture faded and yellowed
with age. I threw the coveted putter,
my favorite club for over twenty years,
into the trash, hating it, hating it
for tarnishing the rounds of rare family golf
with time, hating it for not staying the same,
hating it for refusing to remain
that anchor, for cutting me loose, for knowing
how to move on, hating it for its wanton liberty
of taking its secrets to the grave, hating it so much
one might think my cheek held only a tear
PHOTO: “Golfer Taking the Swing” by Joe Fox. Prints available at fineartamerica.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Aimee Mackovic is a poet and professor from Austin, Texas. Her books, Potpourri and Dearly Beloved: the Prince poems, can be found at aimeemackovic.com. Find her on Facebook at Aimee Mackovic. Twitter and Instagram: @aimeemackovic.
Silver Birch Press 