left behind

left behind

the suitcase lies open

contents of her room strewn across the carpet

18 years of memories forced into a box

she picks and chooses which ones she wants to take with her

the stuffed bear she won at the county fair in 3rd grade

will it make the cut?

she picks up the shirt they used to fight over

i laugh, to hide my desperate need for her to take it with her

not discard it, almost carelessly

she packs it

i breathe in relief

you can keep my white sweater

she says

one i would beg to borrow

it was striped, a turtleneck

i don’t want it

keeping it means losing her

she leaves the next day, bags packed, headed to college

i lay on the carpet,

the rejected pieces of our childhood

surrounding me

pieces that hold the stories of our past

abandoned

i lay among them alone

i’m left behind

-m.n.

Check out more Girl Spring poetry here!

Mahika Natarajan

Hi my name is Mahika! I'm a junior and I enjoy writing and reading a lot. I've been learning Indian classical dance for 10 years now and also play the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument. I love coffee, rainy days and playing with my dog.

More Posts