When I took my son to the dentist, I ran into an acquaintance from college who told me about all the delightful items that she was acquiring from the American Thrift Store.  She said that she had even found expensive, name brand items with the tags still on them. I was excited because I used to frequent that store when it was in another location. I thought it had gone out of business. Now, I learned that it had only moved. Therefore, when my son asked me to go to the music store, I stopped at the thrift store.

Being the poetry lover that I am, I headed straight for the book section to see if I would find at least one book of verse.  My search failed to disappoint me. On the shelves labeled, Poetry and Art, I found six books of poems and one book of quotations for a little over $5.00:

• Wings of Silver, Jo Petty (1967)
• The Gift of Love (an Ambassador cards booklet)
• Love, Love, Love, Susan Polis Schultz (1989)
• The Gold of Friendship, Patricia Dreier (1998)
• Crossword Poems: Volumes One and Two, Robert Norton (2000)
• La Sinfonia de la Vida, Salesian Missions  (1995)

Though one of the poetry books was written in Spanish, I was unable to resist it because the cover was so beautiful—a violin next to a bouquet of flowers. I think I will send that one to my cousin for her birthday this month since she is fluent in the language. Well, I believe I got my money's worth—something for myself as well as someone else.

In the past, I have found three other poetry collections for a little of nothing at a thrift store and a yard sale: Tender Is the Earth (1973), Close to God in Thought and Prayer (1970), and The Golden Book of Prayer (1941). I also bought two books, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1955) and Modern Religious Poems (1964), from the public library's discarded book table for 25 cents. In addition, I have acquired some other poetry books online at Amazon for only one cents plus $3.99 shipping. Therefore, refuse to let the economy stop you from enjoying the pleasure of some good rhymes. You can discover the hidden treasure of poetry books in places that you would least expect.