Probably it’s how Rémy felt when Ego took the first bite of–

Posted on by claudia

i wrap her//careful, with both hands
&the paper crackles soFt
against her cheeks//breast
“you’re afraid?” i ask
“how long will it take?”
“about three days”

she falls silent in my arms&
how she came to birth, i cannot say
a streak of thoughts,
untraceable &never questioned
really in a moment’s storm

“you like her?”
“she looks like— //and yeah//for many reasons”
my reply is shallow ponds towards her bareness
and fragility

“you’re gonna love the city” i smile
“&he’s nice
&thoughtful”

“that makes 19.50” says the postman
his grey beard- thick steam on a far out track
i watch him carry her away

towards the backroom
cold wind heavy in my face
as i step out on the boardwalk,
fumbling
for the car keys

.

over at dVerse Abhra has us write about secrets… pub door open at 3pm EST…

34 responses to “Probably it’s how Rémy felt when Ego took the first bite of–”

  8. I feel this mixture of your feelings while wrapping ‘her’ to send to the city…..to ‘him’ ~ ‘his grey beard- thick steam on a far out track’, heavy wind and nervous ‘fumbling
    for the car keys’ – deepen the intensity of inner storm of parting with your ‘secret’….very nice sketch.

    .

  10. Nice Claudia, now you have got me wondering too!! I like how you make the parcel a character, almost like a little child, in the poem. It adds to the mystery, and wonder of the journey it will embark on to its new owner.

  11. I whole-heartedly agree with slpmartin, there are very few writers who can mystify the mundane, for you do find poetry in everything; impressive piece–my first thought based on the cost of shipping was a manuscript, but a fragile expensive Doll, or a painting, or a beautiful vase all works for me. I like the lines /a streak of thoughts/untraceable &never questioned/really in a moment’s storm/.

  14. Sending a piece of ourselves out into the world always feels just like this… I love the imagery you used to convey that feeling… the love and care you express.

  16. My favorite lines from your poem here:

    you like her?”
    “she looks like— //and yeah//for many reasons”
    my reply is shallow ponds towards her bareness
    and fragility

    wow!!! you always come up with the most brilliant lines and beautiful imagery of all. Thank you Claudia for you always being you and writing this phenomenal piece. 🙂

  18. It sounds like you’re submitting a manuscript. Or yeah, maybe you’ll sending a painting to someone and it’s a surprise.

    I love this line:
    “my reply is shallow ponds towards her bareness”

  21. At first I thought you were shipping artwork that you birthed or perhaps a book. Then a thought went through my mind that perhaps, it was something for a loved one. I found myself wanting to see a bit closer to fully understand.

  22. Of course I want to know the back-story of this nostalgic, tender poem. My thought, throughout, was a loved one–one of your children, perhaps. But then, our art of whatever genre is like a child to us.

  25. Oh.. goodness.. the secret i see is a woman giving up a child for adoption.. but perhaps that is only a secret to me..:)

    i love the way you weave the words to mask the truth of whatever is/was..:)

  27. Letting go of someone/ something is the only way to grow … sometimes I flatly refuse to do so … you are brave, C … Love, cat.