Her Bag of Bits
Her Bag of Bits
by Ellen Kline McLeod
Birth brings a baby and its bloody blameless bag of bits
soft scraps of rag, mirror pieces and rounded rocks
reaped by indiscriminate descent during generations.
Bag bursting or scant, spikes and gems or shell shards
where once a living thing began, ancient ocean tumbled
glimmering gathered time tiles, miles of dreams and ribbon
teeth, splinters and words open telling ship-bound trips
wedding dress lace embedded in supple skin, pelvis, face
pieces of bone and hard dried oatmeal, leather straps and
dried splats of blood, edged diamonds in latent pressure.
With offered tools of time and will, glue and hammer
the debris becomes mosaic, fragments strewn and hewn
her own self with effort crafted into something stunning
from the bag bits bartered and withheld to her benefit.
-refers from the word ”shells” in the poem Leslie’s Shells by Richard Allen Taylor
Debbie
March 16, 2011
What a wonderful piece of art! Thank you, Ellen!
Annmarie Lockhart
March 16, 2011
I love this imagery! Great way to consider what is possible within the context of what we inherit.
Cassie Premo Steele
March 16, 2011
“something stunning” indeed!
Jessie Carty
March 16, 2011
I am really enjoying all the great commenting here and on our Facebook fan page! Thanks readers!
Christopher
March 17, 2011
Beautiful. I read it aloud. It should be read aloud. Lovely.
Shane
March 17, 2011
Absolutely Beautiful, the whole poem tumbles you through it’s imagery.
Tara
March 17, 2011
I agree with Debbie – a work of art!
Greg Martin
March 18, 2011
Wonderful poems like this communicate emotion and share a memory. Love it.