what I knew then
Alexis Smart
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dedicated to my pets, who always listen respectfullyLoading...
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Song for TuckerChild Psychology
What I Knew Then
In the Bathroom Mirror
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46
9
10
Song for Tucker
(After "Song for Autumn" by Mary Oliver)
Don’t you expect the paws dream now
how comfortable it will be to rest upon
the earth instead of
Carrying its weight across
cold, wet stones? And don’t you think
the ears, especially those that
droop, are beginning to imagine
the sounds that won’t come — none, at all — to echo
inside their hollow chambers? And don’t you hear
the sigh that murmurs goodbye,
the serenity of finally being released
from earthly concerns? The bones
stiffen, and the tight joints over which
the muscle ran so smoothly begin to
scrape above the knees. The eyes settle
more deeply. And in the evening
the whiskered nose shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
(After "Song for Autumn" by Mary Oliver)
Don’t you expect the paws dream now
how comfortable it will be to rest upon
the earth instead of
Carrying its weight across
cold, wet stones? And don’t you think
the ears, especially those that
droop, are beginning to imagine
the sounds that won’t come — none, at all — to echo
inside their hollow chambers? And don’t you hear
the sigh that murmurs goodbye,
the serenity of finally being released
from earthly concerns? The bones
stiffen, and the tight joints over which
the muscle ran so smoothly begin to
scrape above the knees. The eyes settle
more deeply. And in the evening
the whiskered nose shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
Child Psychology
With every step, my boots settle further into the mud.
A crow bows and shouts above me on a powerline, loud and condescending
Twigs bend into the ground as I step forward, and I wish to join them
My own breath billows in humid clouds around my face.
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
With every step, my boots settle further into the mud.
A crow bows and shouts above me on a powerline, loud and condescending
Twigs bend into the ground as I step forward, and I wish to join them
My own breath billows in humid clouds around my face.
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
Trucks and Teslas beside me splatter gravel onto the pavement as they rush past
Nothing shields my ears from the cold air’s harsh indifference.
Dead thistles brush across my jeans and grasp at me as I trample them
A Gresham-bound city bus hisses as it lowers itself across the street for a passenger
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
Nothing shields my ears from the cold air’s harsh indifference.
Dead thistles brush across my jeans and grasp at me as I trample them
A Gresham-bound city bus hisses as it lowers itself across the street for a passenger
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
I hear one of those cars to my left spin into my skull, spine, and sternum
I feel the cold earth swallowing my sentient corpse as my soul drifts off, finally able to leave every weight behind.
My heartbeat slows, then stops.
I hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing. I am gone.
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
I feel the cold earth swallowing my sentient corpse as my soul drifts off, finally able to leave every weight behind.
My heartbeat slows, then stops.
I hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing. I am gone.
Life is unfair. Kill yourself or get over it.
