There comes a time to throw out the trophies
I guess it's never easy
sure as hell wasn't for me

My trophies sat on my father's mantle for years
a couple of years after his death
my wife  told me
as gently as she could
that it was time to get them out of there

My first reaction was
"I don't want those goddamn things"
I put off getting them for as long as possible

Finally
I did.

I took my dozen or so statuettes
that had rested on the mantle since they were brought home
on Saturday nights
flush with the latest glory
boasting of round two
or the sound the opponent made as he hit the canvas

An eighth of an inch of dust had settled in the twenty years they sat
I took them from their places
leaving clear spots in the grime
put them in a bag

It was harder than I thought
to drop them in the garbage can when I got home

I kept two
the first I ever won
and the last my dad brought home

The only one he kept
when it came time to throw out his

Email me