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Boxes (Voyages I)
by Elizabeth ShawThey arrived sporadically out of thin air
were a sharp blow to the cheek
inducement to woo by pecking order
the scales we keep.
I took them on blindfolded
because I couldn't see any other way
to keep tabs on checks and balances
and his whereabouts the same.
At first the form
letter felt no different than the priors;
a box
with a check marked X
ordered the obligors' arrears on child support
rat-a-tat
rat-a-tat
rat-a-tat
and zero cents.
After words the conveyor
let MY finger be the razor
as stacks of empty boxes
(that should have been marked
keep the faith
trust hope
patience
loved ones)
fell off the back of a moving van
one by one and were flattened.
(to be cont'd)
12/09/2013 Posted on 12/09/2013
Copyright © 2024 Elizabeth Shaw
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 12/19/13 at 05:22 PM I like this very much. A serious topic, clever but matter of factly delivered. |
| Posted by Philip F De Pinto on 07/22/14 at 03:52 PM Jane, I love when you write out your heart ( ah, but you always do! ) as you do here in this ode which is totally heavy and mind blasting. |
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