Welcome to Poetically Yours. Poetically Yours features poems by northern Illinois poets and a few from other states. Today’s featured poet is Susan Goldberg.
Goldberg lives in Rockford, but she grew up on a small farm near a town in Indiana. Goldberg’s sister Jane taught her to read in a tiny classroom--also known as their bedroom--before she started kindergarten. Goldberg said she briefly directed a grade school play, but that venture came to an abrupt halt when the actors complained that she was too bossy. Here’s her poem “Fixing It.”
The icemaker was fixed, but the repairman had missed his lunch. He opened the refrigerator door and spied a bottle of chocolate syrup. He shook the bottle, tipped his head back, and squeezed himself a couple of servings. He packed up his toolbox and walked out the door.
The small boy, who had been watching from the hallway, skipped to the refrigerator, opened the refrigerator door, and squirted himself a generous helping of chocolate syrup. He smacked his lips, set the bottle down, and ran outside to play.
His mother called him in for lunch. “Mom?” the boy asked when they had finished eating, “Can I be a ‘frigerator repairman when I grow up?”
“Why certainly,” his mother replied. “I’m sure you’d help a lot of people that way. And I bet you’d see some very interesting things inside people’s refrigerators.”
“I know!” the boy squealed, and he ran back outside to play.
