Letting Go

To go back in time, go
back to the little girl with a pill
bug in her hand. She watches
it curl up in a ball as her golden
hair tickles warm air.
When her mother calls, she
drops the Doodle bug and runs
inside for lunch: grilled cheese
with tortilla chips and a sweet
pickle. Soon she will settle
for an afternoon nap.

Return to the bugs
in her hair. Return
to buttons popping off,
to holes in shoes.
Return to stuffing
her mouth with food,
to rushing it up,
to passing out
in locked bathrooms
while her mother
moves the furniture.

As the woman sits
on her mother’s deathbed
holding her hand,
imagine the emotion
she feels when it bites her:
the coming to awareness,
the act of forgiveness.
Imagine letting go.

Need more readings? Check out these great poems and monologues, essays, and more from the MockingOwl Roost family!

• Fluff of Delight – Monologue
• My Magic – Audio Essay
• At Daybreak – Poetry Reading
• Flood Plain – Poetry Reading
• Glass Shell – Poetry Reading
• Near Uncas Point – Poetry Reading

Laurie Kolp

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Laurie Kolp is an avid runner and lover of nature living in southeast Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She is the author of Upon the Blue Couch and Hello, It’s Your Mother. She enjoys writing found poetry because it creates restraints and unleashes inhibitions at the same time. Laurie is currently working on a project to honor her father, who passed away in 2021.

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