~
slippery memories drape
sheet-like over furniture,
create sticky mausoleums
out of half-chewed pencils
and worn-once onesies.
rosy rearview Past leeches
Future out of Present, like color
sun-bleached away on the line.
nostalgia-infused items linger,
paralyzing generosity. I
grip clothespins, rail
against impermanence,
wrap finger strings tighter,
hoard fear like clearance
dryer sheets I don’t even want.
three friends are pregnant.
first babies. my heart
retreats, eyeing our crib
(teeth marks from two.
the last, more content,
just waited for morning).
Capitalism whispers
w h a t i f . . . ?
implying resurrection of need.
Hospitality replies
w h a t i f . . .
we all open our homes
like libraries? free
membership for all. exchange
as often as circumstance
and reinvention desire.
buy nothing
as often as possible.
shake dust gathered
from the storm of Too Much.
relax curled yearning
from clothesline plenty. clip
compassion like lawn art
flapping in the breeze,
signaling red carpet reception.
replace belongings
with snug connections.
shift loved items
to new loved beings.
trust my own Welcome
when evening winds ease.
Joann Renee Boswell is a teacher, mother, photographer and poet currently living in Camas, WA with her partner and three children. Some recent places she’s been published include Untold Volumes, Mothers Always Write, For Women Who Roar, and VoiceCatcher. Her first book of poetry and photography, Cosmic Pockets, is expected June 2020 through Fernwood Press. Read more at joannrenee.com. Joann attends Camas Friends Church and is a member of Sierra-Cascades Yearly Meeting of Friends.