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| Photographer Brooke Anderson’s post-it note list has been shared over 20,000 times. |
A List, Getting Longer
I see you, you see me, we talk, raise a fork or a glass,
we are Jetsons in baggy pajamas.
You who are close but closed in, you who walk beside me
six safe feet away, you who am I.
Single actual appointment on the color-coded schedule is therapy,
which I miss, blithely playing solitaire.
In light rain after dark we huddle around the brand-new hand-dug possibly-illegal
fire pit and roast marshmallows.
When efficiency is no longer valuable, I make a trip up the stairs carrying a single earring
which has been separated from its mate.
Heart hanging on the front door, cloth napkins hanging on the laundry rack, me hanging on
every beautiful donation my network makes.
©Heidi Mordhorst 2020
gf.me/u/xrngmt
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Michelle Kogan is our host for a spring celebration this Poetry Friday. Dear ones, you matter to me.
Love this! Jetsons in baggy pajamas--what a great image that I GET. And of course, the possibly illegal fire pit is wonderful. I wish we had space for one. Yes, the connection we get from our network is so precious. We are fortunate to live now and not in the time of the plague.
ReplyDeleteI like that heart hanging on the front door. You keep your heart out there all the time, don't you? Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea for a poem. My favorite is the carrying of one earring up the stairs. It's nice to have a little break from efficiency I have to admit.
ReplyDelete"I see you, you see me" feels very important, Heidi. Thanks for every part, however, a list to cherish at this time, and then into the future, too. Best wishes to you & yours in this tough time. (I miss having an open fire, love your fire pit.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing about it. I can't yet.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem and how you created it out of a self-made exercise. "When efficiency is no longer valuable" I needed to read that line as I feel so inefficient. Napping happens easily. I'm trying not to snack too much. But I am secretly enjoying the quiet time.
ReplyDeleteThe new normal from a poet's eyes and a generous soul's heart. I am with Liz about finding something lost and bringing it to be reunited with its (soul)mate. I am finding that poetry helps.....some. I think toasting marshmallows is a great idea. All of us (well many, many) are in this new normal at least together.
ReplyDeleteJanet
I loved these questions when I first saw them floating through my social media. (I'm printing them out to hang on the fridge as daily questions to remind me even when this crisis is behind us.) And I love your poem in response. I'm going to try one, too.
ReplyDeleteYour response poem is so powerful, Heidi. The concrete images resonate, especially "we huddle around the brand-new hand-dug possibly-illegal
ReplyDeletefire pit and roast marshmallows."
Thank you. :)
This line resonated most: "When efficiency is no longer valuable..." Yup.
ReplyDelete(Congrats on your Go Fund Me. What a great idea!)
I like your efficiency line to and this one makes me smile which I need at this time,
ReplyDelete"I see you, you see me, we talk, raise a fork or a glass,
we are Jetsons in baggy pajamas."
Thanks Heidi, be well and safe, and do something that makes you happy each day, xo
The quarantine questions are good ones to have on the refrigerator, and your poem—it says so much, Heidi! That image of taking the trip up the stairs carrying a single earring is an especially powerful one. I've been there.
ReplyDeleteI've shared these questions also... great. Your list poem is intriguing... so much to consider... thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions. And that taking a single earring up the stairs... (But I call it a win for the fitbit, which encourages me to take many extra trips up the stairs.)
ReplyDeleteYes, that separated earring, that hanging heart... thank you for sharing this pained beauty this week, Heidi. And, your wee learners are so lucky to have you! Take care and stay well.
ReplyDeleteThis line popped out at me: "When efficiency is no longer valuable, I make a trip up the stairs carrying a single earring" and then I had to laugh because clearly I wasn't at all efficient in visiting your PF post--it took me a week to get here! I'm so glad I finally made it. I love the list, and shared it when you posted it on FB. Creating a poetic response to it is brilliant. You've captured so much in each image.
ReplyDelete