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High On A Shelf

As a kid I never understood
as I walked through the woods
without any shoes
breaking twigs
with my toes
why no one
was there
when I got home

Even now
as I walk
without shoes
go barefoot
I can feel broken glass
cut
through my hardened heels

To remove
I reach up
on the highest shelf
where mama
still keeps the tweezers
as if I'm still that child
who walked those miles
so long ago
through the woods
and home
to find myself
alone
pointed implements
mustn't be found
for mama might not
make it home
for at least a week
and by then
rigor mortis may have set in

As a kid I never understood
as I walked through the woods
without any shoes
why my heart grew cold
as I reached home

Even now
high on a shelf
I return tweezers
to their proper place
and next to them
in a jar
marked with a skull
and crossbones
is my heart
mama put it there
after rigor mortis set in

Copyright © 2002 by Shannon Gleeson