Writing, for me, was a feat of self-preservation. If I did not do it, I would die. So I did it. Obstinacy, not talent, saved my life.
~Philip Roth
Happy Poetry Friday! I had kind of a funny week. Through an insurance snafu (Imagine that! Insurance having a snafu!), I didn't get a shot I needed last week and I ended up sleeping through most of the first few days of this week. I guess you could say I hibernated? Glad to have gotten my shot and be actually doing things now.
Today's poem is one I wrote for the prompt "stairs" using a memory from when Elena was just a moppet.
Shields Up
by Tabatha Yeatts
I hear a thump on the stairs
and run, expecting a wail of pain
from my four-year-old daughter,
but instead find her holding on
like a starfish: face down, arms out,
safe through the most
improbable catch.
Somewhere loose
in the jingling pockets of our cells
is the coin to drop in the self-
preservation slot
to activate our instinct
to avoid the shiny berry,
the sudden slither,
the perilous dare,
your own voice calling you
to let the knife's edge
pass you by,
to catch the handle.
***********
Life on the Deckle Edge has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Robyn!
23 comments:
I love it, and all the ways you showed those 'coins', Tabatha. Is it the 'sixth sense' spoken of? And I love that only the word 'stairs' sparked this memory and your thinking about it. Glad you got that shot!
Terrific poem Tabatha, love the title, and your closing,
"to let the knife's edge
pass you by,
to catch the handle."
Also what a wonderful resource and metaphor "the self-
preservation slot." Glad that was available for your little starfish that day. And I'm glad you were able to get your shot too, thanks!
coin for the slot of self-preservation. Brilliant! This is such a great capture of the many big thoughts in a tiny bit of time. Well done. I like your original work!
Wonderful imagery in this poem that anyone who has been responsible for taking care of little ones can identify with! Thanks for sharing this today.
Tabetha, so many wonderful lines in here, it is hard to single out one, but the image of a child starfished on the stairs is so vivid, and "to let the knife's edge pass you by," is profound. I am glad that this scary moment turned out with a sigh of relief!
Oh, my heart! Those scary thumps! I love the image of the starfish on the stairs and the thought of "your own voice calling you." Some combination of luck and unconscious knowledge saves us time after time.
As others are saying, the "knife's edge" line is profound! It's amazing what beautiful work a seemingly simple prompt can generate.
I love that the word "stairs" brought back a memory that you turned into a powerful and lovely poem!
Marvelous, Tabatha! We moms and grandmas have all heard that thump, and thank goodness the self-preservation override has worked! "Holding on like a starfish!" Thanks for sharing this great poem.
Oh, I know that response all too well, hearing the thump and waiting for the wail! Sometimes I watch my son has he flings himself around the playground and wonder if his self-preservation instinct is entirely operational. ;-)
I agree with how your lines get to the heart of the fact that anything can happen, often does, but most of the time we're spared the knife's edge. Every once in a while I think of a close call and shudder.
Such terrific imagery, Tabatha. I love so much about this poem and especially the line
your own voice calling you
Glad you're feeling better!
It's wonderful, Tabatha, and thought-provoking too. I love " . . . holding on/like a starfish . . ."--such a vivid image.
Tabatha, the starfish image is one I know well from yoga so your poem prompted a visualization of your child landing in this pose. Here's to prompts, stairs and shot, that gave us a glimpse into your past and present.
Tabatha, what a sweet image of Elena catching herself. Your application to humanity's ability self-preserve is thought-provoking. I really like the quick description of her "improbable catch" and then the three follow-up stanzas that I'm sitting here contemplating. Beautiful.
What a wonderful poem, a moment in time captured with such amazing imagery, the knife's edge avoided. Thank you, Jesus! (You have to say that last line with a southern accent.)
Wonderful imagery in your poem, Tabatha. It's amazing how one word can conjure a memory.
Oh, wow. That third stanza is a work of art within the work of art.
in the jingling pockets of our cells -- mercy. And to the let the knife's edge pass you by. Wow. I felt this poem, Tabatha. Thank you, and glad you're feeling more like you!
So many great images in this poem! I love the starfish!
How fascinating that your memory echoes your own "just in time" experience, Tabatha. I love the knife's edge.
I'm glad you got the shot you needed, and I love the poem! The starfish comparison is perfect.
What a memory! Great poem. You & your perfect last lines!
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