Carry You Around
Michelle Greenblatt
With thanks to R.C. Hildebrandt
My back breaks
when I carry you around.
I wd travel w/you on my back
for miles if I didn’t resent it so much,
if I knew you wanted to grow
feet and walk for yourself.
My legs grow limp
when I carry you around
straining against the ground
to keep my balance:
you weigh 60 lbs. more than
I
and hanging from my back
like a limp fish strung there
for the night’s dinner
coating me w/a bad smell
and a little slime.
My neck aches
when I carry you around
from trying to keep my gaze
and pace
steady fixed
on the horizon and ground
My ears sting
from your words of encouragement
whispered
when I carry you around.
I want to drop you
when I carry you around
I want you to land
hard on your back,
just so you can see
the sky
when I carry you around.
6.17.2004
