Fear of Abandonment
The following poem imagines what is in my trashcan and lets those items stand as metaphors for the sense of loss and abandonment that led me to use alcohol as a “solution.” Notice that the poem ends with a wine glass. I did not intend this image when I wrote the poem, which was before I went into recovery. I realize now that I “knew” alcohol was hurting me even before I went into recovery. This is an example of a poem telling the writer something they didn’t know they knew.
Taking Out the Trash
Gritty coffee grounds
Crushed and wet
Release morning’s breath
Grapefruit shell
Pink pungent taste
Small close compartments
Eggshell’s jagged edge
Embossed with shiny film
No longer home
Ragged edge of newspaper
Curled into itself
Forgotten admonitions
A half-smoked cigarette
Lipsticked cherry red
A moist pink tongue
Broken wine glass
Slender stem intact
Aftertaste of loss
Prompt:
1. Write about what is in your metaphorical trashcan, car, basement, attic or anywhere where there are unwanted things, or perhaps things you are holding onto that you know you should get rid of. You can put people in there too!
2. Try to work with concrete images rather than "story" or "narrative." If you begin with a story, look for the images that appear in your story and "unhook" them. See what happens.
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