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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

My poem in response to your prompt:

When I

______

Most days, when I tell you "I'm just tired,"

what I mean is that the world has grown

heavy as wet laundry on the line,

that my thoughts have tangled themselves

into knots I cannot name.

.

When I say "I'll be there in five minutes,"

what I mean is that I'm still watching

the cardinal at the feeder,

counting his precise movements,

memorizing the exact shade of his feathers,

and yes, I know time is passing

but some moments refuse to be rushed.

.

When I tell you "It's nothing,"

what I mean is that it's everything—

it's the coffee cup you left unwashed,

it's the way autumn sneaks up every year,

it's how my mother's voice catches

when she talks about her garden,

it's the thousand tiny things

we never say out loud.

.

And when I say "I understand,"

what I mean is that I'm trying,

like a child learning to swim,

arms flailing in deep water,

reaching for something solid

in this vast ocean of meaning

between what we say

and what we mean to say.

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Ellen Clayton's avatar

Immediately sending your poem to my husband. Gorgeous. Thank you so much for this community, too - I’m gutted I haven’t been around much since summer really - turns out doing a masters takes quite a lot of time 😂 but I’m still sticking around for when I can swing by and I’m super grateful for all the inspiration and connections 🥰

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