I have come
to get my stuff
A friend suggested
it was too much for me,
I should send someone else.
But where do you hire
a person like that?
No, this is the kind of thing
you have to take care of yourself.
There are too many decisions to be made.
papers: do you keep the notes
from you to him or him to you?
Is it time to throw out the valentines
from the boyfriend now twice-removed?
Who cares the most?
files: who's going to copy
the tax returns, and who
keeps the originals?
Who counts the most?
cds: is it worth fighting
over who really owns the
special edition Miles Davis
even though you're perfectly sure
it was a birthday present for you?
Who listened most?
dvds: who gets Casablanca,
do you split up box sets,
what do you do with
the empty cases?
Who sat and watched the most?
photos: do you keep the ones
where you look good,
or leave those for him?
Who will remember the most,
and who will need reminders?
3 comments:
I like this one too Polly, I really love these lines "this is the kind of thing/you have to take care of yourself" almost to the point of wondering if you should start this poem with that?
I like how memory and memorabilia are intertwined--what do we save, what do we toss, and I wondered if a more imperative style, directive narration might suit the piece better rather than reflective questions?
I enjoy reading your change/move pieces/poems and wonder if you should string them together to form a long poem? They would work well I believe.
Polly,
Oh oh oh. This one smarted. I agree with Tracy about starting the poem with the kind of thing you have to take care of yourself...
Hi Polly,
I think this piece is very strong -- I really like the way your questions hint at a situation that's finished but maybe not fully resolved. I also really like the way you've worked the double question at the end. Well done.
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