this house
your front door, blue –
hers, purple –
mine, green –
but they open onto
us, just the same
behind this door, you care for
a newborn (tears from lack of
sleep – yours, not the child’s)
behind that door, she cares for
a grandmother (spotted hands
crinkling into smooth ones)
behind another other door, i care for
my best friend (multiple myeloma
filling his marrow)
larcrimal fluids spilling forth,
just the same
erythrocytes flowing through
us, just the same
hematopoietic cells filling
us, just the same
poetry elevates and renews us,
just the same
…common denominators
(Cristy Watson, 2021 – I used the image for this prompt)
wish you had added the image (they are in the media library) b/c I don’t recall it. nonetheless, this is powerful and evocative; and in many ways not all that unrelated to your theme. in retirement – even earlier for many of us – we find ourselves caring for others in different situations. but with this common denominator … among others
Found it and added it, SarahW – thank you for the hint re: media library – and for your insightful comments – you are so right about looking after others in our retirement years!
I don’t think you went off theme at all! You wrote what the picture brought to mind and it was such fine, poetic storytelling. 😀
Thank you again, Bavishya – so thrilled you commented on so many of poems – it is greatly appreciated!!
I love this. Seems spot on to me, and the listing of medical commonalities just serves to underline the humanity yoy all share ~ Wise and wonderful.
Thank you, Britton for your thoughts – so glad this poem worked!!
I liked how you move from difference to similarities
Thank you, psarvasy!! I was trying to convey that theme in this poem.
So appreciate how you bring poetry back directly into this poem as you did in poem 11! “poetry elevates and renews us,/ just the same.” Yes! Thank you.
Thank you, Richard! This year’s prompts worked so well for inspiring me, poetically!!
From what makes us different to what makes us similar. Beautiful!
Thank you, Skay – I was trying to work in that theme throughout the piece – especially with all that has happened this past year and past few weeks, here in Canada.
Great ekphrastic. No matter the outside we are all the same on the inside and face the good and the bad.
Thanks, oxmtch11!! I have enjoyed playing with ekphrastic poems – I used a picture this year in the CV2 2-Day Poem contest and was surprised with where it took me – much like this one.