In 2012 President Obama took a lot of heat for this little ditty: If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.”Ā
I celebrate knowing that the kidlit and poetry communities of SCBWI, Inked Voices, 12×12, The Writing Barn, Highlights Foundation, and this Poetry Friday community (and the incredible support and cheerleading from my husband and family) are why I am now agented.
When the devastating news arrived this week of Katey Howes’ death, the only solace I could find was to sit with her words, her beautiful picture books that will live on and inspire generations of readers. I hope to live a kind life and perhaps leave such a legacy.Ā
Thank you āto each and every one of you who take the time to read my words and who offer such kindness and encouragement in your comments. Whether or not I ever publish a picture book, you have made me a better writer.
And now for a belated clunker…
My mom is from Boston, MA. When I was growing up, before I hopped in the cah to go the ahthodontist, I had to retrieve my retainer case from my nightstand draw. Sometime around the age of 9, my older sister informed me that āmom talks wrong,ā after which time I began to pay attention to words ending in -er.
So when Linda Mitchell invited us to choose a clunker, this line called to me: more a drawer of worlds. I read it not as one who draws, but as a space that holds things.
junk drawer
rubber bands, paper clips
golf tee, forgotten key
grocery receipt dated 2023
three pens -dry as dowagers
a dusty penny (no longer lucky)
one rogue screw, a lonely stamp
longing to be used
lest you judge this drawer of junk
consider eachās history
ātis more a drawer of worlds
each inhabitant a mystery
Ā©draft, Patricia J. Franz
May 22, 2024
photo courtesy of pixaby
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It’s Poetry Friday! Click on the link to be transported to Michelle Kogan’s world at MoreArt4All. Michelle is a poet and artist extraordinaire.
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a masterās degree in Theology with a focus on childrenās spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
Congratulations on connecting with an agent, Patricia! Bravo! Publishing is such a challenging business, and finding an agent is a significant milestone. I hope that your gorgeous writing does reach the hands of children in many picture books!
Your sisterās warning about your mom ātalking wrongā made me smile. I forget the exact age when my kids started telling me that I talk wrong, not because of an āerā but because of the āflat aā that I acquired growing up in western NY state.
Your junk drawer poem contains many treasures! āThree pens ā dry as dowagersā made me laugh!
Thank you, Tracey!
Wonderful poem!! Objects do tell stories, hold worlds. Congrats on landing an agent!
Thank you, Jama!
You have much to celebrate, Patricia! Your poem is wonderful. Like Tracey, I also smiled at the dowager line (and many others). Enjoy your busy weekend, and congratulations!
Thank you, Rose. This coming weekend, we have a small break and the next wedding comes next weekend!
Patricia, I love the way you showed how your mom pronounced the /er/ sounds. You id some magic with Linda’s line, and added some magic of your own “each inhabitant a mystery” Lovely~
Thank you, Denise!
“mom talks wrong” haha! Fun clunker refresh, Patricia, and I like your author photo š Congrats on becoming agented!
Thank you, Tabatha!
So excited to celebrate this milestone with you! Woohoo! I love the clunker you picked. “Dry as dowagers” made me giggle.
Thank you, Marcie!
CONGRATULATIONS, Patricia – and wishing you much joy and success on these next steps of your journey! So sorry to learn of the loss of such a vibrant author who shared your agency.
Love the family story, and your poem! I’m chuckling with everyone else at “three pens -dry as dowagers”….
Thanks Robyn!
Hooray and HOORAY! Many congratulations on becoming agented. I’m not surprised but absolutely delighted by this news. And, what a shine up you gave that clunker. I do believe each of those items with their own histories live in my junk drawer too! That dusty penny just turns up in every junk drawer I’ve ever had. Thanks for the good news to soften the sad.
Thank you, Linda, for the clunkers! Love how our poetry community can share this way.
Congratulations!
And three cheers for the junk drawer. I captured two bugs this morning using the pill bottles that live in the front corner of ours. The all-purpose scissors cut new fennel for the caterpillars, and a rubber band holds shut the bag of chips. Such a generous drawer, always helpful (even if it’s messy)!
Aww… now I might have to add a pill bottle instead of recycling it! Repurpose!!
I love a junk drawer poem with all its uniqueness and history of the people living there. Congratulations on being agented. I feel the same about all my communities that support my work.
Thank you, Margaret.
Congratulations on being agented, Patricia! That is awesome news! Love that ‘junk drawer’, the stuff of our lives, all together, getting to know one another? Does everyone have one? Mine moved from mostly junk to a kids’ drawer, full of tiny toys, then, back to junk as they grew up! Love that ‘lonely stamp/longing to be used”!
I loved the junk drawer in our house I grew up in. It always had a few surprises.
Such wonderful news, many Congrats!!!ššš Love your ājunk drawerā who inspired it and whatās in it, I think I need one too, thanks Patricia!
Whaaat?? I thought everyone had one!
Woohoo! Congratulations, Patricia! I hope the agent relationship is just right for you! And thanks for your sly junk drawer poem :>)
Thank you, Laura.
Yahoo, Patricia! I’m doing a happy dance in your honor! Your agent is lucky to have you.
And your so called, clunker poem is full of treasures. I love junk drawers and how “each inhabitant [is] a mystery” ā¤ļø
Thank you, Bridget.
Congratulations!! That is so very exciting!!! You’re inspiring me – maybe one day I’ll have an agent too. š I have a similar story where my dad enlisted my help at the Home Depot, because he was looking for a TARP and the poor confused salesman kept taking him to the plumbing and bathroom section because he thought he was looking for TAPS. ;-D
OMG! Love this!
Patricia, many congrats on getting an agent! It has to help to get your work submitted to the right places. You made my junk drawer(s) much more interesting. Each object has a story. You have some of the same things I have!
Thank you, Janet. And thanks for hosting!