I empty out the pockets of my life
A sliver of left-over hope
Maybe a shred of dignity,
Oops! Gone in the wind
A marble, pain compressed into a tight ball
That I roll between my fingers to remember
Gum wrappers with chewed life smashed flavorless inside them
Loneliness I can’t seem to lose
Crumbs of something I tried to brush off—they stuck anyway
An ink stain, dark like blood leaked out and spread across the seams
And paper
Washed more than once
What words have I lost
Not emptying the pockets of my life
Biting my lip I hold up empty hands
The pockets turned seam-side-out
The worn places both jagged and smooth
It’s all I have
It’s all He wants
~suelarkinsweems ’11