https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PhCOPvuBRzkVJV-K7brVApgusFoc7mlw?usp=sharing

When I was growing up, my mother's weekend hobby was going to auction rooms. She would bid on collections of items, usually from house clearances, always hoping to find and an unrecognised masterpiece in amongst the household bric-a-brac.

That never happened, although our house did become very well furnished, with an eclectic range of well made furniture. My summers were spent renovating and restoring yet another bike that she'd bought at auction. So I always had at least 1 bike in the garage. Every summer my bikes got better and better, and the neighbours kid would be given last Summer's bike project.

One of these house clearence "bundles" contains mostly junk, but did contain the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. It was framed, and handwritten in beautiful script, possibly someone's school project.

My father read it and said "these are some good rules to live by". As 13 year old boy, his recommendation had an impact. That framed poem hung on my bedroom wall, until I left home to go to university. Soon after, my parents downsized and moved to a much smaller house. Ironically they sold a lot of their household possesions at auction. I don't know what happened to the framed poem.

I've loved the poem ever since, and still do.

Matt Walker-Wilson

--

2