Downsizing

It's not easy
keeping yourself together 
when there is a part of you
hiding away still darkened
with fear. It's been curled up
there for years.
Then there's that other part
of you who can't keep still,
creating havoc as it charges
around your head
demanding answers, bulldozing 
certainties until there is nothing left
except rubble strewn across 
the mind.
Other parts play silly games,
or put you down or flicker
on and off in a constant state 
of not knowing what to do. 
They're the ones that stutter 
on the lip of every day, 
running down your batteries until 
there's not much left of you.

You wake up
each morning feeling depleted
as if half of you has gone missing
in your sleep and what remains
is a bag of parts that no longer fit.
Like children you've given
each a name, fed and provided 
them with shelter.
Worn out by the labors
of their want, you hope one day
they'll grow up and go. Then,
you can think about downsizing 
into the less cluttered spaces 
of the real you.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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Turner Avatar
April 25, 2023 at 5:54 AM
Sometimes it can be difficult what to keep and what to let go. Love this write Paul. I think Ive got enough baggage for a couple of other folks. Have a super day my friend.
Willason Avatar
April 25, 2023 at 7:59 PM
Thanks Daniel for your kind words. Always a challenging subject to explore and not tip over into a nowhere. Take care...
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