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.
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/
My Swelling Heart 
Great metaphors in this 🙂
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Thank you, Jilly! 🙂
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as the longer light shines we morph with the season’s light, i really like the way you expressed this
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Yes, indeed! And we are morphing all the time. Thank you for your comment 🙂
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You are welcome 🙂
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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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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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I think we do transform a little every day…. it has to be so…
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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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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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I like the thought of the dog shedding skin and our convictions as paper scraps.
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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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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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I really like this one a lot! The imagery is really wonderful… convictions swept up with toast crumbs… shedding convictions… and the discovery of change …
Wonderful!
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So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
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It was great!!
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