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The Leather Suitcase

Posted by luigi_pagano on August 10, 2009 - 11:35
from the ABC set Cherry ripe

It could have been left almost anywhere
but it was abandoned in a single room
of a B&B. In Weston-super-Mare.

A leather suitcase, battered and old,
plastered with sticky labels of hotels,
from the Emerald Isle to the Cotswold:

the Grand Hotel, the Ritz, Albergo Italia,
the Savoy, the Metropole and La Maison
plus the Acapulco Hilton - inter alia.

They spoke of an itinerant millionaire
much travelled who was going places;
full of sophistication, possibly debonair.

But, after looking at it, I knew for cert
that this suitcase was to me familiar
and that it had belonged to Uncle Bert.

He never went abroad and it was rare
for him to even entertain the thought
of straying far from Weston-super-Mare.

As I saw that valise battered and old
I knew how first impressions can deceive
and that all that glitters is not gold.

© Luigi Pagano 2009

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Comments

threeleafshamrock | August 10, 2009 - 11:39

Nice take on the I.P. Luigi, I am still struggling to come up with something that sounds plausible; let alone original. ;)

Chris

scoot | August 10, 2009 - 11:39

I assume this is your response to the inspiration point? I was going to write one but couldn't think of a single suitcase of note. I enjoyed yours. It made me think Uncle Bert some great mystery, like Shakespeare, and how unlikely also it was that he should be so urbane having had a very insular life. Perhaps Uncle Bert had a ilfe that you were unaware of?

:)
Karen

luigi_pagano | August 10, 2009 - 11:48

I know how you feel Chris. It took me the whole weekend to come up with this. I hoped it met the criteria of the inspiration point, but one never knows. Some of my previous attempts haven't caused many ripples, others have been cherried.
Thanks, as always, for your comments.

luigi_pagano | August 10, 2009 - 11:54

Hi Karen. Nice to hear from you.
Yes, it is indeed a response to this week's IP.
Uncle Bert was always a man of mystery. Did he really lead a double life? We all knew him as a stick-in-the-mud and assumed that the international travel suggested by those stickers was only make believe.
Many thanks for reading this.

chuck | August 10, 2009 - 14:46

You never know Luigi. I think might have spotted Bert at the tables in Monte...accompanied by some rather attractive fillies I may add.

luigi_pagano | August 10, 2009 - 15:30

That explains it chuck: there were loads of good looking chicks crying their eyes out at his funeral.

Cavalcaderl | August 10, 2009 - 16:22

New luigi_pagano
well Uncle Bert sounds a
mysterious man a secret !life may be.
some in real life loose job then
of they go so hurt no work dress up
and go pub;etc; cos they can't tell
wives or partners lost job.
makes one wonder see suitcase all
heavily labelled?
first time I now learnt
how to drop dash line in your name.
julie cavalcader

luigi_pagano | August 10, 2009 - 16:35

Hello Julie. Yes Uncle Bert might have lived a secret life for all we know. I wonder if he kept a diary. We would then be able to learn a bit more about his whereabouts.
Thanks for letting me have your thoughts.

tcook | August 11, 2009 - 13:44

And this is a splendid response to the IP! Cherry duly awarded.

luigi_pagano | August 11, 2009 - 13:46

Much obliged Tony. I am as they say 'over the moon'.

sunshine | August 17, 2009 - 20:14

Lovely and so evocative. Margot

luigi_pagano | August 18, 2009 - 08:08

Nice of you to say so, Margot. Many thanks.