spring cleaning

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I never know what
I will find
there until I
haltingly
begin. Pulling old
and new and worn and
unworn from shelf
and rack and hanger, I

uncover life I have lived
or haven't.

Makeshift shelter, cluttered
with memory and dreams
offers up hidden things,
mystery of the forgotten
favorite "who I am" that

doesn't fit anymore.

New at front, old
stuffed back but present,

so I give myself away in
wedding dress memories, in
high-heeled shoes, in
mother-body clothes I
wasn't ready to wear again.

Gift-bags fill with old I
don't like anymore; there
is room for new now
in the clothes, in
the space

that is me when I put me on
in the mornings.
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Written in response to L.L. Barkat's poetry prompt - The Closet.

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6 comments:

Laurie A. said...

i circled round these words ...

Makeshift shelter, cluttered
with memory and dreams
offers up hidden things,
mystery of the forgotten
favorite "who I am"

the closet door is open ... seeing with you some of what you have there ...

Cassandra Frear said...

He makes all things new. How good it is.

Unknown said...

"so I give myself away in
wedding dress memories, in
high-heeled shoes, in
mother-body clothes I
wasn't ready to wear again."

I can so relate to these words. Lovely poem.

Marcus Goodyear said...

I like the idea of uncovering the life you lived--and the life you didn't live.

We think we know what we want to look like, what costumes we think we need to wear, but sometimes we find we can't wear those things--or we never really wanted to wear them.

Monica @Know-Love-Obey God said...

Yup. Doesn't fit anymore.
Now, putting on the new.

L.L. Barkat said...

wasn't ready to wear again... yes, that resonates...

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