Stones and then Breadcrumbs
Because you mean to return,
you mark your movements by dropping stones.
Pebbles tumble from your twisted grip
like baby teeth from gums.
Someone creeps along behind you,
pocketing the rocks.
The way you came has been erased.
You try it again,
shredding bread as if to denature it into grain,
scattering that.
Later, you search the leaves
for any message, how did you come here?
Did you flatten any foliage
by stepping on it,
or does the world simply fill back in
any dents, any record of your displacement?
A very wise man once said “Anyone who starts to plough and looks back is of no use to the Kingdom of God,” as you’ve as you've been poetically reminding us these past few days.
ReplyDeleteYes, our tracks through life are easily erased.
ReplyDeleteHannah,
ReplyDeleteYou make poetry mean something!
Hansel & Gretel made stylish and all grown up :) xx
ReplyDeleteThis poem has a lot going on beneath the surface. On initial reading, it immediately reminded me of Hansel and Gretel, and I like that aspect. On multiple re-reads, it speaks to life and the mark we wish to make on it, and the questions we have about our impact: "Did you flatten any foliage
ReplyDeleteby stepping on it,
or does the world simply fill back in
any dents, any record of your displacement?."
The poem asks the question, and does not answer it.
Oooh, I like this one.
ReplyDeleteMy kids are at the age of losing their baby teeth, nearly one a week between our 3 oldest children. They are, like pebbles, small and smooth, falling from their gums.
Terrific imagery here.