Provenance

 

Record and trace of ownership

Beguiling proof and certainty that

What we have is precious and

Priceworthy

 

I have books I like

 

I like to look at them (wish they

Were better arranged), though

Mostly I like to use them

 

Once signed or deemed valued

In any other way, the book

Becomes artifact, then as such

Not used again

 

I guess we have many things

Like that: with provenance

Proved or started with the first

Costly thing that now needs

Tracking of its own

 

I’d rather try the things—touch

Them, enjoy them in the world

Of rough dimension they came

From

 

There’s beauty in raw elegance

Unproved