Our daughter collects boxes.
Big boxes.
Small boxes.
Boxes with purple lids that pop off
or snap open on old brass hinges.
Boxes with black velvet on the sides
and pale blonde ribbons around the top.
Boxes with soft cotton inside
and holes pierced through the lids.
Boxes in pieces,
scattered like cardboard confetti
and poking through the carpet into my toes.
She isn’t here today,
so I’m searching her room for a very specific box.
I’m on my hands and knees
pulling them out from the darkness under her bed.
I’m laying them out on the floor
where I can slip in a single toe,
just to see if I fit.
I need a box I can get inside of.
Something as easy to slip into as the waves at the ocean.
I have asked you to carry me,
to pick me up, hold me close,
but you might as well be trying to embrace running water.
You’re holding me in a sieve and I’m clinging to the sides.
I am too much for your hands.
The carpet is soaked around your feet,
it squishes between your toes
and I see a look of disgust pass over your face.
I could turn down the volume.
I could twist the tap and pull myself back until I’m only a few little drops
and then you could catch me in your hands like you used to do.
You could hold me against your palms
and I’d fit.
© Laura A. Lord, 2020
Thank you to MindLoveMisery for their prompt.
202 responses to “Running Water”
(I love boxes too)
“I need a box I can get inside of.
Something as easy to slip into as the waves at the ocean.”
of wow Laura this is a very powerful piece. Trying to hold on to someone who falls through your arms like running water
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Thank you ❤
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I liked this post
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Thanks!
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Very interesting
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Thank you
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[…] Running Water […]
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Wow! The way you have described every bit, every part is just splendid and much more beautiful than I can praise that piece of art……
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Thank you so very much.
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Well placed together 👍
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Thank you
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My pleasure 😊… Also check out my blog 🙏
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Beautiful
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Thank you
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How beautiful. I hope you find a place that fits.
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Thank you very much. Me too.
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This is beautifully written ❤️
Also do check out my blog!!!
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Thank you
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The poem is so beautiful! ♥️
Ain’t we all trying to unravel each and every box till we fit in the final one.
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Exactly! Thank you.
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Love this.
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Thank you
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It was both beautiful and sad. Very lovely ❣️
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Thank you very much
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Nice……
Check out Mine😎
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Thank you
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Yh
You really make someone have a reason to smile😇😇😇
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🙂
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Beautiful piece of writing… it’s also difficult to love someone who doesn’t want to be loved or feels unworthy of being loved
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Yes, it is. Sometimes expressing how we need to be loved is quite difficult.
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U r the best
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Thanks! 🙂
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Hello Happy Good Evening
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Làm sao để nhận biết khi họ nói nước mà ý họ như thế nào . Cảm ơn đã nêu ý của mình
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Thật khó để thể hiện bản thân với những người chúng ta yêu thương. Cảm ơn bạn.
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Beautiful
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Thank you
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Love it. I need to read through it again later, but I love the tone.
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Thank you
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Interesting! 💜
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Thank you
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Good piece
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Thank you
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Beautiful
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Thank you
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Welcome
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Very 🅝🅘🅒🅔
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So touching, I love it. This poem is so precious ❤❤❤❤
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It was too good for words but a sad reality too..
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Ooh lord so interested i need box too
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You write extraordinary poetry.
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Wow😍
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It’s great
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Beautifully written.
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Riveting indeed.
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Provoking
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Oh this is beautiful, hope you get back to where you fit once more ❤️😊
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Thank you
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Waw! this is absolutely beautiful! thank you for sharing this lovely post with us☺️
Follow @everythingtips for tips and recommendations if interested☺️It would mean a lot to me🥺🤍
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Loved it
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Thank you
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Amazing
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Thank you
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I love this
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Thank you
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What beautiful poetry. So gracefully one can picture the essence of a person slipping away, going unruly, or simply breaking away from the confines of daily living.
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Thank you so much
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Its really nice!
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Thank you
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I liked your post
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Thank you
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Thats really good dude
https://paradan.net/
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You really make the human being a reason to be happy so thank you
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Very interesting Thank you
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Drop holds seven colors once set free! Beautiful rendering. Keep writing more!
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Nice piece of writing, sorry for your daughter because I’ve the impression she run away. Fortunately, I hope that my reading comprehension could be wrong, I’m from Spain. Nice day.
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A post with deep meaning and I like it
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Nicely expressed…
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Very vividly written. I love it
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Thank you
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Nice
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Thank you
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Your work is amazing…..pls check out my blog
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Lovely wording …deep meaning ❤️❤️
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So heart touching!! I could feel several different emotions as I kept reading on each verse
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