Two syllables
summing up the hole in me.
Fleece pretense
thrown over my shoulders
much too heavy, much too
warm.
A flashlight,
blindfold,
a shell I found in Korea, nowhere
near the sea.
A hatred
of all things solid,
sturdy like wood.
A Mason jar of river water
stolen from her belly
April 15th, 1996.
—————-
Inspired by Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried.
What about you? What do you carry? Feel free to be poetic or literal. I like both.
Literally: a 30+ pound toddler, his bag of snacks, a purse full of randomness including a pouch of diapers, a Moleskine planner, and @flotsam’s book.
Poetically: the never-ending struggle to be the best mom I can be to said toddler.
Both are equally heavy and burdensome. But, so worth it.
You’re so creative!
I carry antacids. Because you never know when heartburn will attack. (Learned my lesson on that one!)
I also carry myself, in a way that I am proud of.
Just beautiful, K.
Mine-
Color- vivid, blinding. Sight for one who lost his
Way.
A sorrow river running deep. Churning wild
Taking me somewhere unknown.
A magnet that pulls me towards grace.
I seek myself in deep breaths, the Om, the blink of an eye, the pause between
Me and the world- wide and whole.
You and Sizzle make me want to write poetry. Did you know I did, as a teenager? And not the emo kind, either.
Literally? Far too much and the guilt for not just saying “no” already.
Gorgeous, K.
Today I’m carrying excitement. Bucketloads of excitement for the good things to come.
Pretty much just this iPhone but it has a bunch of apps.
Oh dang it, was my comment/answer supposed to be in the form of a poem? Uhh…
It’s an iPhone that I carry,
I never had a brother Larry,
Its tons of apps can get me out of any jam -
well, at least until it runs out of RAM.
LOL, Jen totally beat me to it: my toddler.
I also carry anxiety, pluck, confidence, and pain.
{wow. i love this!}
——-
These things I carry…
… melody in my cap
… empathy in my glasses
… candidness in my scarf
… burden and hope in my jacket
… creativity in my sleeve
… sadness and distrust in my belt
… command in my panties
… ambition in my skirt
… and confidence in my shoes.
What a wonderful inspiration… I used to teach The Things They Carried in a Freshman Comp class years back.
Okay, here’s my list:
a desire to absorb in as much as I can of the world
a pair of scratched and smudged sunglasses
an anxiety that I’ll miss something along the way
Very creative. I really like this!
Best,
Hannah Katy