The Gift Of The Empty Hand (edit #3)

[ThatsNotFennel]

The Gift of Loss

You left without your things. //Should this be the title? The current title sounds a little tired to me, and its tone doesn't match the piece.

Eighty years of saving
sorted, labeled, ready for reuse. "ready for reuse" needs changing. Or to be removed entirely.
Bookshelves crammed:
Twain, Cayce, Eliot,
religious tomes in languages
the rest of us couldn't read;  Does "could never" sounds better here than "couldn't."
favorite issues from the weekly deluge
of magazines on every subject. Is this line even necessary?
Closets stacked with picnic baskets Yes, agree with above poster about the nice hard sounds here
and fixable vacuum cleaners, I would ditch "fixable" for "repairable," but this is personal preference. The image is great.
Polaroid cameras in their striped boxes,
photos of you, us, them. I would rework this line. The image is perfect but to end it with this wording seems fumbling.

When the ocean took it all you came, grinning,
reminding me "They're just things."
My arms are full of empty,
free to hold today. I like this last stanza.

Overall, I think I like this poem. It rings a little cliche the way most undeniable truths ring cliche. There are a few things I would change - I highlighted the ones I thought would best fit the direction the poem takes.

Regards,
ThatsNotFennel