Trembling at the beach
on a day meant for indoors,
tossing her ashes
like a paper airplane
in the wind,
we knew it was
always going to be this way—
she was always
going to come back to us,
one way or another—
her ghost on the cereal box, first thing,
her costumes hanging in the attic,
somehow noisily animated
after dark.
Each of our eyes
a Lucky Strike,
red-rimmed and wondering
how to pilot
the rest of it
without her.
For the List at Shay’s Word Garden
A poignant scene. I love the last 6 lines, they're lump in the throat stuff. I don't understand about the cereal box; want to enlighten me?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shay!
DeleteThe ghost/cereal box is something like Scrooge seeing Marley on the door knocker.
Breakfast being at the start of the day (first thing), and the attic costumes (at night) indicate continual reminders of her presence (both day and night). My grandma lived with us for a while when I was young and made me breakfast every day. As a kid when I would eat cereal, I'd look at/read the cereal box. Doing so after her passing would remind me of her and be a way she would enter my life--her presence still there in memory, first thing.
WOW! This is fantastic......"she was always going to come back to us...." I love this poem!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Sherry! Glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteI love this so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shawna! Always lovely to see you here.
DeleteThis poem is indeed a mystery, beginning with 'tossing her ashes' continuing to 'her ghost on a cereal box' and the costumes animated after dark. She seems to move between the world of the living and the dead. Mysterious!
ReplyDeleteLife and death both involve mystery to be sure!
DeleteI keep coming back to read it again and again. I see a very clear story, but I won't taint your intentions or others' readings by sharing my imagined narrative.
ReplyDeleteGlad you've returned! <3 Bring it, Ms. Shawna. I'd love to read your narrative!
DeleteLove the image of a "Paper Airplane" not knowing whether it will fly or not ! Lovely poem
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alan!
Delete"she was always/going to come back to us" --- like tossing ashes into the wind and having them fly back at you, "a paper airplane." When someone is loved, they never really leave.
ReplyDeleteExactly :-)
Delete"She was always going to come back to us." Some people stay with us, cereal boxes and ashes aside. Great poem, Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's true, they do in various ways. Thank you very much, Sara!
DeleteI love it! Spunky, reminiscent of those I’ve know. Brings back good memories!
ReplyDelete