I Was Rummaging Through My Strong Box Poem by Raymond Farrell

I was rummaging through my strong box
looking for a particular document
when I unearthed
a long held memory
two watches
a Lord Elgin and a Waltham
which I was given
over 50 years ago
not because of something
I had achieved
but I fell heir to them
when my father died
I was twelve at the time
and those two watches
were deemed to be too expensive
for a child to be wearing
so they sat in drawers for years
and finally ended up in my strong box
my father had been a watch-maker
and today when I saw those watches
it brought back
one of the few distinct memories
I have of him
sitting at his work bench
repairing a customer's watch
I recalled the pieces of the watch
neatly arranged on the side of the bench
and him bent forward
looking through some magnifying glasses
everything was silent
as he with dainty instruments in hand
carefully adjusted the inner workings
of someone's watch
I marveled at the delicate nature of the work
but being a hyperactive child
the idea of sitting still and quiet
for so long was unappealing
and after a couple minutes
I left the shop
going out into
a hot July afternoon.