Oxfam by Carol Ann Duffy

• The Guardian, Saturday 4 July 2009

A silvery, pale-blue satin tie, freshwater in sunlight, 50p.
Charlotte Rhead, hand-painted oval bowl, circa 1930, perfect
for apples, pears, oranges a child’s hand takes without
a second thought, £80. Rows of boots marking time, £4.
Shoes like history lessons, £1.99. That jug, 30p, to fill with milk.
That mirror, £5, to look yourself in the eye. A commemoration
plate, 23 July 1986, marriage of HRH Prince Andrew
to Miss Sarah Ferguson, £2.99, the size of a landmine.
Rare 1st ed. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, signed
by the author – like magic, a new school – £9,000. Pen, 10p.
Pair of spectacles (longsight) £3. P/b Fieldnotes from a Catastrophe:
Report on Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert (hindsight) 40p.
Jade earrings and necklace, somewhere a mother, £20, brand new
gentleman’s suit, somewhere a brother, £30. Everything Fairtrade.

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