My Writing Desk - Day 54 - Daily Haiku

My Writing Desk
covered with distractions, I
need to let go of

Cori MacNaughton

I'm late in posting this haiku, because not only did I get home well after midnight, but then when I tried to post it, we had no internet connection. Ah, the joys of rural life.

This little Eastlake desk belonged to my mother, and was built somewhere between the mid to late 1800s. I've loved it since childhood.

Interestingly, I don't know the story behind this desk, as my mom normally told me what history she knew of pretty much everything else of note in the house. It is possible that she told me, and I have simply forgotten, but I don't think so, as I can tell you the history of every other item of note I got from her. This is where she sat and wrote, and often read, and perhaps it simply seemed so much a part of her, that it never occurred to her to give me its backstory.

I have an Eastlake dresser from the same period, that belonged to my father's paternal great-grandfather, who I was told brought it with him fro North Carolina when he moved to Honey Grove, Texas, in 1850. Having since learned that Eastlake furniture came into popularity in the late 1860s, they may have gotten the date wrong, and it was probably purchased once they were already established in Texas.

According to my older sister Angela, who moved to the Houston area when I was twelve, the dresser's marble top is made from marble mined in Marble Falls, Texas, which has a lovely mottled pattern of deep rose, grey and white.

I've always loved it as well, and when I was a kid, my mother had it in their bedroom, sitting next to her Eastlake desk. My father was using a larger oak desk that had come down from her family. Years later, when my parents split, my father left the Eastlake dresser with her, with the understanding that it would go to me when I was old enough. He kept the oak dresser he had been using, with my mother's blessing.

I know from both parents that the Eastlake dresser is made of cherry, and as the little desk appears to be the same wood, I am assuming that it is cherry as well. The lid has a black leather inset that is not visible in this photo.

As for the items on the little desk, as pictured; they include a 2 1/2 octave set of Sonor bells on the lower right, which the seller told me were from the 1930s, and have lovely clear tones when played. What I didn't know when I purchased them, is that they are not permanently attached, but merely sitting on their rests, which means that any time the case is set upright or inverted, there is now a jumble of bells to replace in their proper order. Luckily that doesn't take long.

Atop the Sonor case is a small free-form black shelf attached to a driftwood base, that Marek bought at an art show where I was reading my poetry, which I'm planning to mount above the desk soon. Directly in front of it are a couple of chaya leaves, as one of my chayas was sitting next to the desk throughout much of this winter.

To the left is my binder of Practical Sailor magazines, because God forbid I should let those go, just because I sold my last sailboat over a decade ago. All kidding aside, the magazine is a wonderful and evergreen resource, which will be valid pretty much as long as people are still sailing. Since Marek and I are planning to get another sailboat, it makes no sense to me to get rid of them, as I'll need them once we do.

On the back of the desk are several items that will most likely stay on the desk, once I finish setting up my writing nook, as they do not interfere with opening and closing the lid.

From left, they include a pen/pencil holder carved from stone containing numerous small fossils, mostly mollusks; a glass paperweight, containing an excellent representation of a deep blue jellyfish; a small clay pot that belonged to my late sister, Carol; nearly invisible behind the driftwood shelf are a small round stone, sitting atop a small piece of driftwood, both collected from the beach at Asilomar, from my trip there this past April; an LED desk lamp still in its bag from the store; and a small carved wooden humpback whale, a gift from Carol several years ago, sitting on a stack of 3x5 cards.

So, in truth, the items on the desk lid need to be relocated, more than actually let go of, although I have a ton of things in both house and studio that I will indeed be letting go of, and finding new homes for in the near future. I inherited a lot of "stuff" from both parents, when they passed, and it's high time that I weed out the treasures and pass the rest along to someone who will actually use and appreciate them; thank goodness for eBay.

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