Featherweight

by Lindsay, posted in poetry 
We spend our winters building hardened resistance 
Through the routine of shoulder hunching and thickening blood 
 As gradually the filtered light that shifts 
 Across wood panels and kitchen tiles
 Lingers into longer hours.
  
 Without cognizance, we let fall
Our experiences, as a dog 
Sheds its winter coat
 Throughout 
 Each houseroom.
  
 Leaving our
 Convictions as paper scraps to be 
 Swept up with toast crumbs – 
 and our tear drops 
 for mopping.
  
 Never knowing the
 Featherweight
 Of our skin
 Until it is.
  
 And we stand
 Pondering
 The swiftness of
 Transformation.
Photo by Irene Lasus on Pexels.com

This poem was written for the dVerse prompt given by Lillian on Tuesday to write a poem containing a form of the word shed. https://dversepoets.com/2019/01/22/shed-some-light-on-this-today/

16 thoughts on “Featherweight”

  3. I can read this on a couple levels. The transformation that happens with the lengthening days move us through seasons, as well as the seasons moving us through life – always changing. The featherweight of the skin could be the ever changing appearance of our flesh on our bodies, as it seems to grow thinner, almost tissue like as we move deeper into old age, and become more frail. Interesting piece Lindsay…

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    1. Thank you for your comment Rob! I am happy to hear you were able to get multiple meanings out of this. I did not write this with old age in mind, but it is also quite suited for that now having read your remarks 🙂 For me this is about experiencing something difficult that “hardens” us or leaves us in a state of grief and how, given the passage of time (be it months or years) we are able to feel “light” again.

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  5. The metaphors here are remarkable. Such common things as the dog shedding in the house and paper scraps…turned so meaningful here. And oh yes….winter is that shoulder hunching time as if we are turtles pulling our heads in closer to our bodies. So glad you posted to the prompt. Enjoyed this one so much!

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    1. Oh thank you Lillian! I am glad you enjoyed it. And the thought of us all like turtles pulling our heads in… haha! I may start picturing the people i see walking down the sidewalk on blustery winter days as turtles drawing their heads into their jackets and sweaters.

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  7. I think we do go through many transformations in life, and we don’t realize it as they’re happening. As others have mentioned, you did a wonderful job with metaphor and layers of meaning. I particularly liked: “Leaving our
    Convictions as paper scraps to be
    Vacuumed up with toast crumbs”

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    1. Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Merrill! There have been times when change has seemed to happen so suddenly, but really it had been happening all along, just couldn’t see/feel it until it was done.

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