Consider The Mountain’s Feelings by CL Bledsoe
Even the best outlined plans shrink
when laid out to dry. Inevitability is,
at best, a raw deal unless you’ve bought
stock in the undertaker. The arrogance
of the radiator. The air’s thirsty voice.
Just because that time is never coming
back doesn’t mean I can’t write it a letter.
I put your little eyes to my ear so I can hear
that place you’re still allowed in. I wish
you could stay there forever, but it would
be nice if you got the jokes in movies I like.
Here is a list of problems I can’t quantify:
why is it that our most beautiful parts are
those we’ve cast off? The same is true of
the dying. Is anything ever worth making
if it will only disappoint? Of course, it’s
a question of perspective, which is another
way of saying accepting failure as somebody
else’s responsibility. Is the problem of feeling
comfortable in the world really just one
of accessories? Do you think about me or just
what I’ve done for you? Guest rooms are
for cowards. The arrogance of unused real
estate. Let’s not make a big scene
about how we’ve failed each other in front
of the children. I’ll try to do better, every day.
That’s what I have to teach you: it’s not
in the journey, the choice of footwear,
or even the quality of compliments paid
the weather. It’s in how well you nod
and smile along with the mountain’s
complaints, and whether you think of them
again, once you’re home, warm, and safe.
Did you come just to have a thing to climb?
And once there, how will you get down?
Raised on a rice and catfish farm in eastern Arkansas, CL Bledsoe is the author of more than twenty books, including the poetry collections Riceland, Trashcans in Love, Grief Bacon, and his newest, Driving Around, Looking in Other People's Windows, as well as his latest novels Goodbye, Mr. Lonely and the forthcoming The Saviors. Bledsoe co-writes the humor blog How to Even, with Michael Gushue located here: https://medium.com/@howtoeven His own blog, Not Another TV Dad, is located here: https://medium.com/@clbledsoe He’s been published in hundreds of journals, newspapers, and websites that you’ve probably never heard of. Bledsoe lives in northern Virginia with his daughter.