The Purchased Parcel Puzzle! Poem by Denis Martindale

The purchased parcel had arrived on yet another hot day in July.
Once it was inside the house, I turned the box around and around.
I listened for any sign of broken glass, but I didn't hear any.
So I got my scissors from the kitchen drawer, as you do.

I began by cutting the sticky tape at the top of the cardboard box.
I pulled off long lengths of FRAGILE this and FRAGILE that.
I pulled back some of the top's little lengths of cardboard.
Now I could see the four tightly-packed picture frames.
I pulled away at the sides of the cardboard box again.
I still couldn't pull the frames out, so I continued, as you do.

There were loads of torn-off bits on the floor behind me.
Some had stuck to my shoes, so I pulled those sticky tapes off.
I turned the box upside down to remove even more tape there.
I pulled off more cardboard bits and pieces, bits and pieces.
Then I thought, 'I don't need to exercise in a gym with this thing! '
Thankfully, the box was cast aside to reveal the four frames.
Now I had to cut sticky tape here and there to separate them.
I turned them upside down and cut more sticky tape, as you do.

I reached the bubblewrap stage and pulled some of it apart.
I thought, 'Here a bit, there a bit, everywhere a bit bit! '
To my relief, the first item was intact, no broken glass at all.
I tried frame number two to see how that worked out for me.
Well, that was nice, and so was number three, for that matter.
However, frame four did have broken glass that hadn't broken loose,
And with no way to tell before the unpacking marathon began.

It was well past the time to clear the decks, as it were.
Sticky stuff goes in one dustbin, other stuff goes in the other.
Now the tricky bit, removing the broken glass from the picture frame.
Move that part, move that part, then take out this part, as you do.

Finally... Finally... Finally... Nope, I had to deal with the box.
I tore off strips of little bitty bits here, there, and everywhere.
I had about fifty bits on the floor and gathered them up to my chest.
Then I made my way to the almost-full dustbin, utterly exhausted.
This parcel was one and a half hours of my life I'll never see again!
I was so peeved that I had to write about it, to share it,
To unload it, to get it off my chest, as you do...

And when I'm done here, I'm going to go to bed, for sure.
The irony is that I used to be a packer for a few years!
But it was never like this! No, not never...
How times have changed, they really have!


Denis Martindale.7th of July 2026.


Here is a new poem by the Poemhunter poet Denis Martindale.

The title is, 'THE PURCHASED PARCEL PUZZLE! '

The poem explains how a parcel delivery can seem exciting, but some parcels get damaged in transit! The poet looked at the large box that had just been delivered and, with great expectations, he started to unpack the four picture frames inside. Three out of the four frames were wonderful. The fourth one, not so much.