Poem – Telephone Pole

By Mya Sanders

Outside my window I see two deflated balloons trapped on a telephone pole Or maybe it was one of those 40 pound dog food bags 

Maybe it’s a silk scarf that slipped off the lady down the street’s head 

There is such a weird sense of connection with this balloon or bag or 

scarf, Almost like I’ve met whoever held it before 

Maybe I did 

That the balloons that released for the family who lost their son three streets over might have found a new comforting home on the pole that gives my phone service 

Or maybe the lonely older man who lives four houses down’s dog passed away after a long 16 years of life and that was his last bag of food he ever had to buy 

Perhaps that lady lost her headscarf that she used to wear to keep her head warm after chemo stole her hair and now it’s glued to this telephone pole 

There’s so many little ways life begs us to move on 

But for some of us we’re still left stuck in the air 

Wind never knocking us loose 

And that’s just something we’ll learn to grieve with 

One draft at a time