“My Mother’s Satchel Whispers” by Carolyn Martin

“My Mother’s Satchel Whispers” by Carolyn Martin, a poem from her chapbook, Nothing More to Lose, released in January 2021, by The Poetry Box, has  been nominated for The Pushcart Prize.

Please enjoy the poem, and feel free to leave a comment.

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“My Mother’s Satchel Whispers”

From beside your bed
on this seasick ship,
I listen to you moan and pray.
I wonder if you can smell
Dresden death
seeping through my seams
and hear the sounds of bombs,
screams, and labor pains
echoing through
the darkness in between
your documents.
I remember how
you clutched me tight
and rescued me
from blood-stained tracks,
rats and snow,
the taunts of brutal men.
And when János said,
We must go,
you never thought twice.
The heavier I got,
I never feared
you’d leave me behind.
We were wedded each to each,
my sweet, steady woman.
My companion, my guardian.
What can I give you
as we plow through
unsteady storms
toward The Promised Land?
The only thing I have:
the vow we made
to protect your memories
until we both wear out.