Hot Pot Magazine

By Lynn White

I have a lifetime of projects,
that I carry round in a plastic bag.
A paper bag would be better
environmentally,
but plastic is more durable.
And it needs to be.
It has had to last a lifetime,
my bag.

A lifetime of ideas,
thoughts,
doings and sayings
carefully annotated and stored
for use sometime later.
To be finished, or started
sometime later.

I can add an idea,
capture a thought,
write it down,
so it will be there,
safe,
in my bag.

It’s getting heavy
my bag.
Who would have thought
that dreams
could be so heavy,
even encased in paper.

It’s getting full
my bag.
So is my life empty
with everything on the inside.
Perhaps now it’s time
to start emptying it out.
Slowly though.
One at a time,

and with care.

It’s getting late.
But not too late,
I hope,
to empty my bag.

First published in Anti-Heroin Chic, February 2016

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. https://lynnwhitepoetry.blogspot.com and https://www.facebook.com/Lynn-White-Poetry-1603675983213077/