Well-armed

I am participating in EthicalELA's September 5-Day Open Write. 

Today's poem is written in response to a prompt from Barb Edler called Ego or Homage, where we were encouraged to explore our own 'uniqueness.'

My arms,

once the bane of my existence,

thick, solid, and far too masculine,

preferably hidden from view,

over time,

have carried their weight,

pulling, throwing, bending,

stretching, lifting, pushing, prying,

moving, herding,

soothing, tending, caring,

holding, embracing,

cherishing,

even,

briefly,

holding up the whole world when it is falling apart.

I see now

they are strong, protective, rock-solid

just like my Dad's,

and that's okay.

I am well-armed.

These are the comments I received on the Ethical ELA website:

gayle sands

Maureen—my hands follow your arms! I love the ending—the comfort and pride in the strength they have given you!

Marilyn Miner

“Well-armed” was a perfect ending!

Gracie Eggleston

What a beautiful ending to a beautiful piece. As I read this, I could envision your strength in being ‘well-armed’ building up. Thank you for sharing 🙂

Seana HW

Maureen,
I love it. I really enjoyed the various words yu used describing what our arms do on a daily basis- pulling, throwing, bending,
stretching, lifting, pushing, prying,
moving, herding,
soothing, tending, caring,
holding, embracing,
cherishing,”
Thank you for this! I’m already looking forward to your next one.

Renee C

Beautiful. Direct, strong, and the ending “I am well-armed’ …. such a nice play on words.

Denise Krebs

Oh, my, Maureen, this is a masterpiece. I love all that your arms can do! As well as:

even,
briefly,
holding up the whole world when it is falling apart.

So beautiful! Yes, arms need to be strong and nurturing when they are mother’s, grandmother’s, teacher’s arms.
And , of course, that last line is an instant classic–“I am well-armed.” Wow!

Emily

Those last three lines are leaving me smiling. Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. So much joy!