Write About Life's Discards

During my morning run by the sea, a discard by a trash receptacle teased my curiosity. I returned to take its photograph, intrigued by experiences that had etched into the wood.

What types of books or letters had rested there?  How many items did it support: unpaid bills, receipts, sandwiches, drinks that satisfied or overwhelmed?  Did it sit by a window?

What happened to the light bulb and shade?  How many conversations did it overhear?  Did others' pledges and pains circulate its length?  Which conversations needed taking back? What else remains broken where it lived?

How did it lose its light?

Creative Write:  Have you discarded something recently?  Does the photograph reveal a relationship to what you have thrown away?

What would you write about the loneliness of an abandoned lamp table?  Where will it travel next?