Behind the jar of marmalade,
A trove of pixies and fairies
nestled in the shade
calling, “Climb in and play.”
My arms full of fairy dust, I open
the closet door to see a new world of fairies.
They are iridescently beautiful
and spread peace, love and happiness.
I’m traveling with Princess Tabitha
to a sunny, flowery kingdom where fairies
and Glinda the Good Witch lives
Maybe I’ll meet the Wizard of Oz
and he’ll grant my three wishes…
Bagging Goodwill donations, magically
all the skinny clothes in the back
of my closet now fit perfectly.
My closet, full of decades of clothes
I no longer wear, takes me to those night clubs
where I danced away time.
I enter a world of rock gods that have passed
Cobain and Bowie play next to Johnny Cash.
When Prince joins in, I swoon,
Fainting in my Nirvana-type Narnia.
My arms full of towels, I open the linen closet
door, only to find I am standing on a cliff!
I open my clothes closet and instead I see
a bird suit with wings especially for me.
I insert my arms, step out into the sky,
and you know what comes next, I start to fly.
I open the small unmarked box hidden
in the bedroom closet. A tattered leather leash?
Yes, and his favorite doggie toy! I close my eyes
and I’m transported to the Rainbow Bridge
where Five-0 waits patiently, tail
a-wagging and ears flopping in the wind.
Crouched down, peering into the dark.
No pots and pans. My hand rests on cool
crystals of sand. Thunderous crash of waves
send saltwater spray against my cheeks.
I opened Mother’s hope chest, a time capsule
of her youth, and found love letters
from my father, a testament of love.
Checked the dried flowers hanging in the dark
hall closet and was lured into a florid chasm
to the queendom of symbiotic plant harmony.
At the back of the front hall closet,
I step into an alternative universe where
we honor nature and respect science.
I opened the secret door, unseen
and hidden for years, a whoosh of musty air
blew my hair out of my face. When
the dusty cloud cleared, I peered in
on a perfectly groomed garden—clearly not
my ramble of over growth— perfectly
manicured— but by whom? Then I hear
the scratch of a metal rack across
tiny trail pebbles. My eyes caught only
movement and the color red— could it
have been a little cap atop a garden gnome?
I will never know. I closed the door
and went out to water my thirsty tomatoes.
Original prompt: You are in your house and go to the closet and open the door but instead of towels or potato chips or clothes, you see another world. Where and when do you go? Who or what do you meet there?
Juanita E. Mantz Pelaez, Julianna M. Cruz, Cindi Neisinger, Rose Y. Monge, Barbara Berg, Debby Johnson, Natalie Champion, Gudelia Vaden, Nan Friedley, Kris Lovekin, Frances T. Borella, Frances J. Vasquez, Ginger Galloway, Cati Porter
Inlandia: A Literary Journey 