Nothing

 

N is for...Notes

When you get to unpack the case, you’ll find

the folded river like a paper crane;

the courtyard, the terrace and the blind lane

have travelled with you, nothing’s left behind.

 

In some garment, in the collar or cuff -

the smell of rain. The lamppost under which

the poor sold bargains pressed hard by the rich

has come with you and can’t be shaken off.

 

You’ll find the texture of sun ripened noons

in the meshed pockets of your suitcases,

the unloved street kids with their grubby faces,

the rain splashed windows, the dissolving moons.

 

There’s nothing you can untangle, discard –

however far you go from this courtyard.

Today I found this half finished pre-pandemic poem in the notes section of my phone. I'd completed it differently at the time it was first sketched and have posted it earlier.  I tweaked the last stanza and couplet afresh and am offering it here for the N-day. 

Happy Easter to you if you are celebrating, happy A-Zing if you're participating in the challenge and happy Spring to all those who are doing neither.

A-Z Challenge 2022